101-593: The River Coquet / ˈ k oʊ k ə t / runs through the county of Northumberland , England , discharging into the North Sea on the east coast at Amble . It rises in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland, and follows a winding course across the landscape ("Coquetdale"). The upper reaches are bordered by the Otterburn Ranges military training ground, and are crossed by
202-457: A Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat station, which houses two lifeboats, a Shannon-class all-weather boat propelled by water jets, and a D-class inflatable boat for inshore work. The crew have received 18 awards for gallantry between them, including the first ever awarded for a rescue by an inshore boat. Finally the river enters the North Sea , almost opposite Coquet Island , located 1 mile (1.6 km) out to sea. For most of England,
303-575: A grade I listed structure, and there is a Roman road which passed through the well enclosure and then crossed the Coquet on its way from High Rochester fort to the River Aln . There was a fourth suspension bridge near Hepple , made of iron with a 90-foot (27 m) span, which cost £30 when it was constructed. By the time the river reaches Hepple bridge, which consists of modern steel beams resting on piers dating from around 1874, it has dropped below
404-400: A bridge dating from the 16th century crosses it. Built as a packhorse bridge, it was made wider in 1759 by William Oliphant, a mason from Rothbury, to accommodate vehicles, and was further widened in the 20th century, when the parapets were removed and a concrete deck constructed on top of the original structure. Unlike many bridges, the earlier phases have not been concealed by later work. It is
505-581: A corn mill which was mentioned when Holystone Nunnery was dissolved in 1539, and Holystone Walk Mill, both of which are shown on a map dating from 1765. A fulling mill at Caistron was the other mill on the Coquet mentioned in the Newminster Chartulary, and there was at least one mill at Tosson, as a corn mill was documented in 1290 and 1436, but a fulling mill was mentioned in 1622. There were four mills at various times in Rothbury. Debdon Mill
606-406: A diverse physical geography. It is low and flat near the North Sea coast and increasingly mountainous towards the northwest. Being in the far north of England, above 55° latitude , and having many areas of high land, Northumberland is one of the coldest areas of the country. But as the county lies on the east coast, it has relatively low rainfall, with the highest amounts falling on the high land in
707-536: A key role in the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century on. Many coal mines operated in Northumberland until the widespread closures in the 1970s and 1980s. Collieries operated at Ashington , Bedlington, Blyth , Choppington, Netherton, Ellington , and Pegswood . The region's coalfields fuelled industrial expansion in other areas of Britain, and the need to transport the coal from
808-548: A number of bridges built in the 20th century. It passes a number of small villages and hamlets, and feeds one of the lakes created by extraction of gravel that form the Caistron Nature Reserve, before reaching the town of Rothbury , where it is crossed by a grade II listed bridge. Below the town is Thrum Mill , a Grade II-listed water mill. It loops around Brinkburn Priory , founded in the 1130s for Augustinian Canons , and its associated mill. At Felton it
909-458: A parish church. Parts of the original buildings were incorporated into a manor house, which was occupied intermittently until 1953, after which it was given to the Ministry of Public Building and Works. Both the church and the house are now managed by English Heritage and are open for public viewing. Nearby is Brinkburn Mill, built in the 18th century, but re-using medieval masonry. A cottage for
1010-477: A population of 320,274, making it the least-densely populated county in England. The south-east contains the largest towns: Blyth (37,339), Cramlington (27,683), Ashington (27,670), and Morpeth (14,304), which is the administrative centre. The remainder of the county is rural, and the largest towns are Berwick-upon-Tweed (12,043) in the far north and Hexham (13,097) in the west. For local government purposes
1111-446: A scheduled monument and a grade II listed structure. Below Rothbury is a velocity-area gauging station, which measures the river's flow. Its accuracy is enhanced by a mill weir further downstream, and it has been used to collect flow data since 1972. The mean flow between 1972 and 2005 was 201 cubic feet per second (5.69 m/s), but the maximum flow during this period was 9,382 cu ft/s (265.7 m/s) on 1 April 1992. Just to
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#17327837447011212-735: A shire into the unified Kingdom of England by the House of Wessex. However, the West Saxon governmental structures were not extended beyond Tees, leaving the Earldom of Bamburgh and the Community of St. Cuthbert as contested buffer states with the emerging Kingdom of Scotland. After the battle of Nechtansmere , Northumbrian influence north of the Tweed began to decline as the Picts gradually reclaimed
1313-771: A site formerly owned by Shultons, who originated Old Spice and were bought by P&G in 1990. McQuay UK makes air conditioning systems on the Bassington Industrial Estate at the A1068/A1172 junction in Cramlington , and Avery Dennison UK make labels on the Nelson Industrial Estate off of the A192. Schweppes' Abbey Well mineral water is made by Coca-Cola in the east of Morpeth . The National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec)
1414-465: A source of power, as a number of mills have been constructed along its length. One of the earliest was on Hepden Burn, a tributary in the upper reaches, which was mentioned in the early 13th century, but was not subsequently developed, due to unrest in the area. Archaeological investigation between 2010 and 2013 revealed one of the few unaltered medieval mill sites in Britain, and pushed the development of
1515-495: A tributary that joins the Coquet above Warkworth Mill site. Grange Mill was near the medieval village of Low Buston, and Houndean Mill was just to the east of the railway bridge over the burn. The earliest known reference to the River Coquet is found in the 8th century Ravenna Cosmography , where it is known as Coccuueda . Bede referred to Cocuedi fluminis . This can be roughly translated to 'Red River', perhaps reflecting
1616-402: A two-tier council system for the county and its six districts , both responsible for different aspects of local government . These districts were Blyth Valley , Wansbeck , Castle Morpeth , Tynedale , Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed . Elections for the unitary authority council first took place on 1 May 2008. The most recent elections, in 2021, had the following results: Northumberland
1717-496: A whole. In the 2001 UK Census , 81% of the population reported their religion as Christianity, 0.8% as "other religion", and 12% as having no religion. Being primarily rural with significant areas of upland, the population density of Northumberland is only 62 persons per square kilometre, giving it the lowest population density in England . Northumberland's industry is dominated by some multinational corporations: Coca-Cola , MSD, GE and Drager all have significant facilities in
1818-430: A woollen mill in 1791, and becoming derelict in 1884. From 1915, it was used to manufacture a white pigment called Hydrate of Alumina, and became one of the first factories in the country to be powered by hydroelectric power when a Gilkes water turbine was fitted into the millrace. The factory closed in 1930 when its lease was not renewed following pollution of the river. The mill building was converted into flats in 1968. At
1919-532: A year. Mean flow between 1963 and 2005 was 303 cubic feet per second (8.58 m/s), with a high of 12,913 cu ft/s (365.7 m/s) on 1 April 1992. Just to the west of Warkworth the river passes over a large weir, beyond which the water is tidal. The weir is bypassed by a fish pass, consisting of a series of pools with small jumps between them. The fish pass was refurbished in 2013 after lying derelict for 20 years, to prevent harm to salmon, sea trout and eels, which were being injured while trying to negotiate
2020-879: Is Hexham -based Egger (UK) Limited . Pharmaceutical , health care and emerging biotechnology companies form a very significant part of the county's economy. Many of these companies are part of the approximately 11,000-worker Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) and include Aesica Pharmaceuticals, Arcinova, MSD , Piramal Healthcare , Procter & Gamble , Shire Plc (formerly SCM Pharma), Shasun Pharma Solutions, Specials Laboratory, and Thermo Fisher Scientific . The cluster also includes Cambridge Bioresearch, GlaxoSmithKline, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotech, Leica Bio, Data Trial, High Force Research, Non-Linear Dynamics, and Immuno Diagnostic Systems (IDS). The towns of Alnwick, Cramlington, Morpeth, Prudhoe all have significant pharmaceutical factories and laboratories. Newcastle University and Northumbria University are
2121-538: Is a ceremonial county in North East England , bordering Scotland . It is bordered by the Scottish Borders to the north, the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The town of Blyth is the largest settlement. Northumberland is the northernmost county in England. The county has an area of 5,013 km (1,936 sq mi) and
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#17327837447012222-524: Is also associated with Celtic Christianity , particularly the tidal island of Lindisfarne . During the Industrial Revolution the area had significant coal mining, shipbuilding, and armaments industries. The name of Northumberland is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as norð hẏmbra land , meaning "the land north of the Humber ". The name of the kingdom of Northumbria derives from
2323-472: Is an eastern tributary, which drains from streams on the edge of Bloodybush Edge hill (610m). Uswayford is the northernmost settlement on the Usway Burn, by the hill Hazely Law (499m). Uswayford contains a farm and former quarry site. Previously there was a bed and breakfast at Uswayford, but as of 2013 this was no longer available. Downriver in the less forested areas, Usway Burn and Hepden Burn (to
2424-541: Is at Blyth. NOTE: New parishes have been added since 2001. These are missing from the list, see List of civil parishes in Northumberland . Although not on this list, the population of Cramlington is estimated at 39,000. Some settlements that are part historic county of Northumberland now fall under the county of Tyne and Wear : A precursor of modern football is still seen in the region at some annual Shrove Tuesday games at Alnwick . In 1280 at Ulgham near Morpeth Northumberland, records show that Henry of Ellington
2525-483: Is crossed by two bridges, one dating from the 15th century, and its replacement, built in 1927, both of which are listed structures. Below the bridges is a sewage treatment works, built in the 1990s. At Brainshaugh, the river passes over a large horseshoe dam, built in 1775 by the engineer John Smeaton to power an iron and tin works, which later became a woollen mill, and subsequently one of the first factories to be powered by hydroelectricity. Before it reaches Warkworth ,
2626-674: Is divided into four parliamentary constituencies: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley, Wansbeck and Hexham. The 2019 general election produced the following total votes, with changes since previous election: On 23 June 2016 Northumberland took part in the UK-wide referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. In Northumberland a majority voted to leave the European Union. The only one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Northumberland to vote Remain
2727-418: Is grade II listed because it is one of the earliest bridges of its type produced by the company. Beyond the bridges, a new sewage treatment works was built on the north bank, after it was authorised in 1991. It was designed to discharge 19,000 cubic feet (539 m) of treated effluent to the river each day, and replaced old inefficient works at Felton, Longframlington, Swarland and Thirston. Near Brainshaugh,
2828-547: Is in the south of the county, surrounding Cramlington and other communities along the county border, to afford a protection from the Tyneside conurbation. The belt continues west along the border, past Darras Hall , and on to Hexham, stopping before Haydon Bridge . Its border there is shared with the North Pennines AONB. There are also some separated belt areas, for example to the east of Morpeth. The green belt
2929-471: Is no evidence from early Ordnance Survey maps for further mills above Rothbury, there were two mills at Alwinton in 1623, one of which may have been a fulling mill, as a fulling mill was confiscated from Sir Edward Widdrington in 1654. Widdrington also lost a corn mill and a fulling mill at Harbottle, which were sold in 1655, but later recovered following the Restoration . There were two mills at Holystone,
3030-401: Is one at Linbriggs, a second a short distance below Linbriggs and a third at Harbottle. The Holystone Burn joins the Coquet at Holystone . The village has a Holy Well, with a rectangular stone tank dating from Roman times, but the fact that Bishop Paulinus baptized around 3000 Northumbrians there in the year 627 is now thought to be based on a misreading of the writings of Bede . The well is
3131-667: Is the fourth oldest in the country and is now Alnmouth Village Club; it is a 9 hole links course. Usway Burn The Usway Burn is an upland river on the southern flanks of the Cheviot Hills , in the Northumberland National Park , England. It is a tributary of the River Coquet and is about 15 km in length. It is located close to the northernmost end of the Pennine Way . The Usway Burn has several tributaries and inlets, including some in
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3232-545: The Cheviot Hills to Melrose, Scottish Borders ( Latin : Trimontium ). As evidence of its border position through medieval times, Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England, including prominent ones at Alnwick , Bamburgh , Dunstanburgh , Newcastle , and Warkworth . Nearly 2000-year-old Roman boxing gloves were uncovered at Vindolanda in 2017 by the Vindolanda Trust experts, led by Andrew Birley . Being similar in style and function to
3333-618: The North Pennines AONB is also in the county. There is a variety of nature reserves in Northumberland including Holy Island National Nature Reserve and Farne Islands National Nature Reserve. Moreover, 50% of England's red squirrel population lives in the Kielder Water and Forest Park. Natural England recognises the following natural regions, or national character areas , that lie wholly or partially within Northumberland: The Cheviot Hills , in
3434-692: The Northumberland Coast and part of the North Pennines . Much of the county's history has been defined by its position on a border. In the Roman era most of the county lay north of Hadrian's Wall , and the region was contested between England and Scotland into the Early Modern era, leading to the construction of many castles, peel towers and bastle houses , and the early modern fortifications at Berwick-upon-Tweed . Northumberland
3535-540: The Restoration in 1660, the county was a centre for Roman Catholicism in England, as well as a focus of Jacobite support. Northumberland was long a wild county, where outlaws and Border Reivers hid from the law. However, the frequent cross-border skirmishes and accompanying local lawlessness largely subsided after the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England under King James I and VI in 1603. Northumberland played
3636-646: The Treaty of York (1237). The earls of Northumberland once wielded significant power in English affairs because, as powerful and militaristic Marcher Lords , they had the task of protecting England from Scottish retaliation for English invasions. Northumberland has a history of revolt and rebellion against the government, as seen in the Rising of the North (1569–1570) against Elizabeth I . These revolts were usually led by
3737-446: The fulling of wool. This process, which removed grease and other impurities from the woollen fabric and knitted the fibres together to form a denser product, was a manual one until the 12th century, with the cloth put into tubs and trampled by foot, before it was washed in a stream. The fulling mill used a rotating shaft with cams to raise and drop mallets onto the cloth, which was immersed in tubs. The Newminster Chartulary, which records
3838-465: The 14th and early 15th centuries. It was abandoned by 1567, but remains one of the best preserved and elaborate monuments of its type in the British Isles, and is a grade I listed structure. On the tidal section, a loop to the north encloses the centre of Warkworth, including its medieval castle and church. Below Warkworth is Amble half-tide weir, which maintains water levels through Warkworth when
3939-402: The 330-foot (100 m) contour. It turns to the north-east, and then passes the hamlet of Caistron, where there are two large lakes caused by extraction of sand and gravel, which started in 1956. The largest lake covers 50 acres (20 ha), and is managed as a nature reserve and fishery. Traffic from the quarry crossed a curious bridge, which consists of large metal tubes laid onto the bed of
4040-525: The 8th century. The water quality of the non-tidal river is good ecologically, and only in the final tidal section is the water affected by run-off from agricultural land, reducing the quality to moderate. The river, which is about 56 miles (90 km) in length, rises in the Cheviot Hills close to the 1,440-foot (440 m) contour, to the east of Grindstone Law and to the north of Ravens Knowe. The border between England and Scotland follows it briefly, before turning northwards at Chew Green , where there are
4141-760: The Coquet Cottage . This and other poems, some in the Scottish dialect, were published in 1828. Copies of this very rare book are in the British Library and also in the Duke of Northumberland's library at Alnwick Castle. The Environment Agency measure the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at
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4242-500: The Coquet just below Smeaton's weir. Hazon Mill was near the hamlet of Hazon, and was documented in the 16th century. Morwick Mill, on the outskirts of Warkworth, was a corn mill first documented in 1284. The weir is still extant, and the modern map shows a mill cottage, but not the mill itself. Warkworth Mill was one of the earliest on the river, as the rent from it was used to provide a light in St Cuthbert's shrine in 1214, and this
4343-685: The Domesday Book which was produced in 1086 provides the first comprehensive survey of mills, but the Domesday survey did not cover Northumberland or County Durham , and so documentary records for the Coquet are not available from that period. The first known records are from the 12th century, when water mills were normally owned by the Lord of the Manor or by Religious establishments. While most mills were used for grinding corn, they were also employed in
4444-754: The English. The monastery at Lindisfarne was the centre of production of the Lindisfarne Gospels (around 700). It became the home of St Cuthbert (c. 634–687, abbot from c. 665), who is buried in Durham Cathedral . The Kingdom of Northumbria fragmented into a series of successor states following the Viking invasion. In the south, Viking settlers established the Kingdom of York between the Humber and Tees. However, Viking influence petered out at
4545-644: The Old English Norþan-hymbre meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to Southumbria , south of the Humber Estuary . The land has long been an English frontier zone, and it is now bordered to the north by Scotland . Northumberland has a rich prehistory with many instances of rock art , hillforts such as Yeavering Bell , and stone circles such as the Goatstones and Duddo Five Stones . Most of
4646-668: The Tees, with the river serving as the northern boundary of the Danelaw. Between the Tyne and Tees rivers, the Community of St. Cuthbert emerged as the successors to the Bishops of Lindisfarne; north of the Tyne, the earls of Bamburgh, who traced their lineage back to the Kings of Northumbria, continued to exercise authority and governance over this northern expanse. York was eventually integrated as
4747-468: The Town Moor. The 'Pitmen's Derby' or Northumberland Plate was held from 1833 and moved to Gosforth in 1882. Modern day horse racing still takes place at Newcastle Racecourse. Golf is a Scottish import to many countries, but it is said to have been played in this region by St Cuthbert on the dunes of the Northumberland coast. The oldest club in Northumberland was at Alnmouth , founded in 1869, it
4848-437: The UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment. [REDACTED] Media related to River Coquet at Wikimedia Commons Northumberland Northumberland ( / n ɔːr ˈ θ ʌ m b ər l ə n d / nor- THUM -bər-lənd )
4949-516: The activities of a Cistercian abbey near Morpeth lists two fulling mills on the Coquet, including one between Rowhope Burn and Hepden Burn. This is thought to have been on the Hepden Burn, a tributary which was known as Barrow Burn in 1866, and the mill site is now known as Barrowburn. Archaeological investigation of the site was carried out between 2010 and 2013 by members of Coquetdale Community Archaeology. As some time between 1226 and 1245,
5050-652: The area was occupied by the Brythonic - Celtic Votadini people, with another large tribe, the Brigantes , to the south. During the Roman occupation of Britain , most of the present county lay north of Hadrian's Wall . It was controlled by Rome only for the brief period of its extension of power north to the Antonine Wall . The Roman road Dere Street crosses the county from Corbridge over high moorland west of
5151-486: The breast-shot water wheel back by three centuries. Although most of the mills were used for grinding corn, some were used for fulling of wool, and that at Brainshaugh for an industrial process. The earliest was at Warkworth, the rent from which was used to provide a light in St Cuthbert's shrine in 1214. The earliest known reference to the River Coquet is found in the Ravenna Cosmography , which dates from
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#17327837447015252-506: The city became a part of the Tyne and Wear metropolitan county in 1974. The county council has been governed from Morpeth since 1981. In 2009 the county council became a unitary authority when the county's districts were abolished and the county council took on their functions. The unitary authority of Northumberland Council was established in April 2009 . Previously, the county had
5353-726: The coast of Northumberland are the Farne Islands , another dolerite outcrop, famous for their bird life. The Northumberland Coalfield extends across the southeast corner of the county, from the River Tyne as far north as Shilbottle . There were smaller-scale workings for coal within the Tyne Limestone Formation as far north as Scremerston . The term 'sea coal' likely originated from chunks of coal, found washed up on beaches, that wave action had broken from coastal outcroppings. Northumberland's green belt
5454-453: The collieries to the Tyne led to the development of the first railways. Shipbuilding and armaments manufacture were other important industries before the deindustrialisation of the 1980s. Northumberland remains largely rural, and is the least densely populated county in England. In recent years, the county has had considerable growth in tourism. Visitors are attracted both to its scenic beauty and to its historical sites. Northumberland has
5555-482: The county is a unitary authority area. The county historically included the parts of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne . The west of Northumberland contains part of the Cheviot Hills and North Pennines , while to the east the land becomes flatter before reaching the coast. The Cheviot (815 m (2,674 ft)), after which the range of hills is named, is the county's highest point. The county contains
5656-402: The county, pre Second World War and immediate post war greats were George Camsell and Hughie Gallacher , these were described in the "Clown Prince of Football" by Len Shackleton . The author played for Newcastle United and Northumberland County Cricket Club . Shackleton's book was controversial when it was first published because chapter 9, named "The Average Director's Knowledge of Football",
5757-703: The earls of Northumberland, the Percy family. Shakespeare makes one of the Percys, the dashing Harry Hotspur (1364–1403), the hero of his Henry IV, Part 1 . The Percys were often aided in conflict by other powerful Northern families, such as the Nevilles and the Patchetts. The latter were stripped of all power and titles by the victorious Parliamentarians after the English Civil War of 1642–1651. After
5858-666: The east is Thrum Mill , a grade II listed three-storey mill building dating from the 18th and 19th centuries the restoration of which was featured in the Channel 4 television programme The Restoration Man . From 1870 the Rothbury Branch of the Northumberland Central Railway ran along the south bank of the river on its final approach to Rothbury . Passenger services ceased in 1952 and goods services were withdrawn in 1963. The river continues through
5959-457: The eastern end of the site is Factory Bridge, consisting of three segmental arches, which was built of rock-faced stone in 1865. Some railings were added in the 20th century. Further downstream near Guyzance are the ruins of Brainshaugh Priory, which was established by Richard Tison around 1147 for Premonstratensian nuns. The community had disbanded by 1500, but the chapel remains, and is a grade II* listed structure. Another large dam provided
6060-419: The ford was replaced by a bridge around 1896, since the bridge and a weir just downstream of it appears on the 1897 map, but a ford appears on the 1895 map. The bridge was rebuilt in 1920 using concrete beams, with six spans and parapets with latticework. The upper Coquet above Alwinton is crossed by a number of bridges, all dating from a bridge-building programme in the 20th century, as prior to 1928, fords were
6161-483: The fourth attempt in 1910. Today top quality professional football remains in Northumberland. Since the 2017 – 18 season, Newcastle United is a Premier League team. St James' Park in Newcastle is a first class football venue, often used for international games at all levels. Blyth Spartans A.F.C. have had success and public attention through Football Association Cup runs. There are many notable footballers from
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#17327837447016262-492: The full-hand modern boxing gloves, those found at Vindolanda look like leather bands dating back to 120 AD. It is suggested that, based on their difference from gladiator gloves, the gloves were not used in mortal combat, but rather in a sport for promoting fighting skills. The gloves are currently displayed at Vindolanda's museum. Present-day Northumberland formed the core of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia from about 547. It
6363-437: The hamlet of Pauperhaugh , where there is a bridge with three segmental arches and a weir on the downstream side. It then loops around a finger of land, which was given by its owner, William Bertram lord of Mitford, to Augustinian canons between 1130 and 1135, who founded Brinkburn Priory . After the dissolution of the monasteries, the main building was derelict until 1858, when it was re-roofed and partly rebuilt, to be used as
6464-435: The hills far to the north. Cairn Hill , a 777m subsidiary of The Cheviot , is drained by both Coldwell Strand and Shedding Sike, the Usway Burn's northernmost tributaries. Further south, the longer Davidson's Burn and Tod Sike join the Usway Burn from the western side, with sources very close to Scotland . Davidson's Linn waterfall was praised by the 20th-century travel writers F.R. Banks and Dippie Dixon. The Clay Burn
6565-623: The land previously invaded by the Anglian kingdom. In 1018, its northern part, the region between the Tweed and the Forth (including Lothian , which includes present-day Edinburgh ), was ceded to the Kingdom of Scotland. The Earldom of Northumberland was briefly held by the Scottish royal family by marriage, between 1139–1157 and 1215–1217. Scotland relinquished all claims to the region as part of
6666-594: The leading academic institutions nearby. The local industry includes commercial or academic activity in pre-clinical research and development, clinical research and development, pilot-scale manufacturing, full-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient/intermediate manufacturing, formulation, packaging, and distribution. Having no large population centres, the county's mainstream media outlets are served from nearby Tyne and Wear , including radio stations and television channels (such as BBC Look North , BBC Radio Newcastle , ITV Tyne Tees and Hits Radio North East ), along with
6767-399: The main means of crossing the channel on this section. Linbriggs Bridge was the first of the new bridges, and consists of a concrete arch spanning a 70-foot (21 m) gorge. Subsequent bridges were built with flat decks, and the programme was completed in 1968, when Mackendon Bridge was opened. The 1897 Ordnance Survey map shows three suspension bridges carrying footpaths over the river. There
6868-400: The main weir. On the south bank is Warkworth Water Treatment Works, which takes 9.2 million imperial gallons (42 Ml) of water from the river each day to supply potable water to 92,000 customers in Alnwick , Morpeth , Ashington and the surrounding areas. A £2.2 million upgrade to the plant was completed in 2015. On the north bank below the weir is a cave hermitage, which dates from
6969-447: The majority of daily newspapers covering the area ( The Journal , Evening Chronicle ). It is worth remembering however that although Northumberland, like many administrative areas in England, has been shorn of its geographical regional centre, that centre—Newcastle upon Tyne—remains an essential element within the entity we know as Northumberland. Newcastle's newspapers are as widely read in its Northumbrian hinterland as any of those of
7070-399: The miller was added around 1830. The wheel and stones remain, although it is now used as holiday accommodation. After passing through Weldon, where there is a mill and a three-arched bridge dating from 1760, which is thought to have been designed by the engineer John Smeaton , the Coquet is crossed by the A1 road . As it approaches Felton , there is a dam, from which a long rock-cut leat on
7171-407: The monks of Newminster Abbey were granted a licence to erect a fulling mill at Barrowburn. They also built dykes to mark the boundaries of the land they had been given. It is not clear how long the mill was operational, as there are no further documentary records, and the area was turbulent with Scottish incursions in the 14th century, which may have contributed to its demise, but the site of the mill
7272-521: The north and Tindale Law to the south, the river turns to the south. The area to the south of the river forms part of the Otterburn Ranges , which has been used as a military training ground since 1911. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence, and public access is restricted. The Deerbush Burn joins the Dumbhope Burn before they join the Coquet, and the river turns to the south-east, to be joined by Croft Sike and Pathlaw Sike, draining boggy areas to
7373-406: The north bank supplied Felton corn mill. This was first mentioned in the 13th century, but the present building dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. An undershot water wheel drove four sets of stones, used for milling corn, while a second breast-shot wheel drove an oat mill, with two sets of stones, a rotary kiln and a pearl barley machine. There was once a sawmill powered by a third wheel. The site
7474-531: The northwest of the county, consist mainly of resistant Devonian granite and andesite lava . A second area of igneous rock underlies the Whin Sill (on which Hadrian's Wall runs), an intrusion of Carboniferous dolerite . Both ridges support a rather bare moorland landscape. Either side of the Whin Sill the county lies on Carboniferous Limestone , giving some areas of karst landscape . Lying off
7575-438: The quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail. The water quality of the River Coquet system was as follows in 2019. The reasons for the tidal section being less than good are physical modification of the channel and run-off of nutrients from agricultural land. Like most rivers in
7676-472: The red porphyritic pebbles found here in large numbers. Alternatively, a recent emerging theory proposes the river took its name in the Anglo-Saxon period after an area of land between the Coquet and river Wansbeck called the "Cocwudu" meaning "cock wood", with the river therefore taking its name via a process of back-formation. The area provides the background to William Gibson's poem The Sailor or
7777-551: The region. Tourism is a major source of employment and income in Northumberland. In the early 2000s the county annually received 1.1 million British visitors and 50,000 foreign tourists, who spent a total of £162 million. Coal mining in the county goes back to Tudor times . Coal mines continue to operate today; many of them are open-cast mines. Planning approval was given in January 2014 for an open-cast mine at Halton Lea Gate near Lambley . A major employer in Northumberland
7878-499: The remains of Roman camps on the north bank of the river, the course of Dere Street , locally named as Camelspath, crosses the river, and there are the remains of the medieval village of Kemylpethe. The river continues in a north-easterly direction, where it is joined by Fulhope Burn, Buckham's Walls Burn, Blind Burn and Gable Burn, before it reaches Carshope plantation. It turns to the east, to be joined by Carlcroft Burn, Rowhope Burn and Hepden Burn, and after passing between Barrow Law to
7979-451: The river passes over a horseshoe dam, built in 1775 by John Smeaton for John Archbold of Acton and Edward Cook of Brainshaugh. It is built of squared stone, and was repaired and modified in 1926. The downstream face is vertical, and the water falls 8 feet (2.4 m). The curved dam has a radius of 170 feet (51.8 m) and supplied a mill race to the south of the river. This originally powered an iron and tin foundry, subsequently converted to
8080-481: The river passes over another dam, which is now part of the intake works for Warkworth Water Treatment Works, which supplies drinking water to some 92,000 customers in the region. Below the dam the river is tidal, and Warkworth Castle is built in a loop of the Coquet. The river reaches the sea at Warkworth Harbour in Amble, where there is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat station. The river has been used as
8181-433: The river, above which the roadway has been constructed. The river channel has been engineered to make way for the quarrying, as it looped further to the south in 1925, and to the north-east of the first lake is a second smaller lake, fed by the river. Water supply to the upper lake is from Bickerton Burn. The river continues to the south of Thropton where Wreigh Burn joins from the north, and passes through Rothbury , where
8282-449: The site was never developed subsequently, and is one of very few medieval mill sites to be excavated in Britain. Barrow Mill was a corn mill located upstream of Alwinton, and was first documented in 1712. It is shown with a large weir, a sluice feeding a mill race, and an exit leat on an 1895 map, but only the buildings are shown by 1897. It was built on lands owned by Holystone Priory, and appears to have been disused by 1887. Although there
8383-589: The source of the River North Tyne and much of the South Tyne; near Hexham they combine to form the Tyne, which exits into Tyne and Wear shortly downstream. The other major rivers in Northumberland are, from south to north, the Blyth , Coquet , Aln , Wansbeck and Tweed , the last of which forms part of the Scottish border. The county contains Northumberland National Park and two national landscapes :
8484-553: The south, while Usway Burn and Wholehope Burn drain hilly areas to the north. When it reaches the hamlet of Linbriggs, it is joined by the Ridlees Burn and turns to the east. At the village of Alwinton , the Barrow Burn, Hosedon Burn and River Alwin all converge, and the Coquet continues in a south-easterly direction through Harbottle , where there is a Neolithic enclosure and several Bronze Age cairns. At Sharperton ,
8585-682: The success and history of their respective clubs. They both became permanent fixtures in Alf Ramsey's 1966 England World Cup winning team. Malcolm Macdonald was a successful Newcastle player of the 1970s. Great national players who played at Northumberland clubs in the 1980s and 1990s include Peter Beardsley , Paul Gascoigne , Chris Waddle and Alan Shearer . Shearer remains the highest scoring player in Premier League history with 260 goals in 441 appearances. Early races were held at Newcastle's Killingworth Moor from 1632 before moving to
8686-410: The tide is low, but is submerged at high tide. It has a central notch and a fish pass near the southern bank. In 2018, the flow through the notch was decreased, and that down the fish pass increased, as fish tended to use the notch, where they were caught in large numbers by seals. Below the weir the channel widens to form Warkworth Harbour, with the town of Amble on the south bank. There is a marina and
8787-558: The water supply for Guyzance Mill, on the west bank of the river. The main building has three storeys, and the undershot water wheel is located inside the building, although it may have been external when first built. Some of the machinery and the stones remain in situ. The East Coast Main Line crosses the river on a railway viaduct with nine arches, designed in Robert Stephenson and completed in 1849 or 1850. The river passes over
8888-481: The weir of Morwick Mill, and a little further downstream is Morwick gauging station, which has been collecting data since 1963. It uses velocity area technology, and there is a 112-foot (34 m) wide concrete weir, which dates from 1973. The station replaced one at Guyzance, and while the measurements are good for most of the year, they are briefly inaccurate when the Morwick Mill weir is drained and flushed once
8989-437: The west. About a quarter of the county forms the Northumberland National Park , an area of outstanding landscape that has largely been protected from development and agriculture. The park stretches south from the Scottish border and includes Hadrian's Wall . Most of the park is over 240 metres (790 feet) above sea level. The Northumberland Coast is also a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). A small part of
9090-971: The wider county: the Northumberland Gazette , Morpeth Herald , Berwick Advertiser , Hexham Courant and the News Post Leader . Lionheart Radio , a community radio station based in Alnwick , has recently been awarded a five-year community broadcasting licence by Ofcom . Ashington has the former Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter , next to the Lynemouth Power Station . Hammerite and Cuprinol are made in Prudhoe by ICI Paints . A Procter & Gamble factory in Seaton Delaval makes Hugo Boss aftershave and Clairol and Nice 'n Easy hair dye at
9191-421: Was Hexham . At the 2001 UK Census Northumberland registered a population of 307,190, estimated to be 309,237 in 2003, The 2011 UK Census gave a population of 316,028. In 2001 there were 130,780 households, 10% of the population were retired, and one-third rented their homes. Northumberland has an ethnic minority population at 0.985% of the population, far lower compared to the average of 9.1% for England as
9292-561: Was a woollen mill on the Debdon Burn, and was first documented in 1762. It was shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1879, but not on that of 1897. East Mill was a corn mill of unknown date, located just upstream from the site of Thrum Mill. Thrum Mill itself is known to have existed before 1841, while Little Mill dates from 1827, and was located just below the confluence with Whitton Burn. Both were corn mills. Brinkburn Mill, which
9393-513: Was first drawn up in the 1950s. The historic county town was Alnwick ; assizes were mainly held in Newcastle , with the county gaol in Morpeth . Newcastle became a city in 1400, with county corporate status, with both areas having joint assizes. From the county council 's formation in 1889 until 1981 Newcastle was the county town , being briefly the county town of two counties when
9494-439: Was identified by Dippie Dixon in 1903. The archaeological investigations found the remains of a wheel pit for a breast-shot water wheel , and a wooden structure in the river bed which was probably part of a sluice. The wheel was unusual, since documentary evidence for breast-shot wheels begins in the 16th century, but the finds push their history back by three centuries. The unrest in the area may have had unexpected consequences, as
9595-488: Was killed playing football when David Le Keu's knife went into Henry's belly and killed him. Organised football teams as we know today did not appear until the 1870s. Newcastle United Football Club was formed in 1892 by uniting Newcastle West End FC with Newcastle East End. Newcastle United were first division champions three times in the early 20th century, reaching the FA Cup Final three times before winning it at
9696-473: Was operational until 1970, and another just below the bridge, of which there is no trace. Smeaton's dam at Guyzance fed the iron and tin works, which was later converted to a woollen mill, producing blankets. Guyzance Mill was a corn mill further downstream, which may have been used as a fulling mill in its early days. It is first attested to in 1336. There was also a corn mill on the Hazon Burn, which joins
9797-420: Was operational until 1970, but was subsequently converted into homes, and the wheels were broken up. At Felton, the river turns to the north-east, and is crossed by two bridges. The first dates from the 15th century, and has three arches. It was widened in the 19th and 20th centuries, but was disused after 1927, when a new concrete bridge by Considere Constructions, also with three spans, was built to replace it. It
9898-403: Was owned by Brinkburn Priory , was documented in 1535, and although its main function was grinding corn, it may also have been used to generate electricity in the 20th century. Wheldon Mill was another corn mill first documented in 1668. It was just upstream of Wheldon Bridge, and the downstream mill race rejoined the river below the bridge. At Felton, there is a mill upstream of the bridges, which
9999-598: Was produced as a blank page. Notable players after the Second World War included Joe Harvey , Jackie Milburn , Brian Clough and Newcastle's Bobby Moncur who led his team to win the Inter City Fairs Cup in 1969. Two of Jackie Milburn's nephews from Ashington , Bobby Charlton and Jackie Charlton are perhaps the two most significant players for England . Bobby joined Manchester United and Jackie Leeds United both contributing much to
10100-428: Was still the arrangement in 1400. Two mills were recorded at the site in 1567 and 1607, while the last record of rents being collected was in 1855. The building was damaged by fire in 1860, and was probably not used afterwards. A number of buildings remain, although not the mill building, while the weir has been incorporated into the intake works for Warkworth Water Treatment Works. There were also two mills on Grange Burn,
10201-627: Was united with Deira (south of the River Tees ) to form the kingdom of Northumbria in the 7th century. The boundaries of Northumbria under King Edwin (reigned 616–633) stretched from the Humber in the south to the Forth in the north. Northumberland is often called the "cradle of Christianity" in England because Christianity flourished on Lindisfarne —a tidal island north of Bamburgh , also called Holy Island—after King Oswald of Northumbria (r. 634–642) invited monks from Iona to come to convert
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