Nenthead
Encyclopedia
The small village of Nenthead in the county of Cumbria
is one of England's highest villages, at 1,500 feet. It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages
in Britain. Nenthead was a major centre for lead and silver mining in the North Pennines
of Britain.
Nenthead in 1861 was a bustling village of some 2,000 people, mostly Methodist and employed by the Quaker-owned London Lead Company
in the Nenthead Mines - some of the most productive in the country. The benevolent Quakers built, amongst other things, housing, a school, a reading room, public baths and a wash-house for the miners and their families. Nenthead was the first villages in the UK to have electric street lighting from excess power generated by the mines. The mines were responsible for as many good things as well as bad, life expectancy was short but the children were being educated.
For many mine explorers
Nenthead is a mecca as hundreds of miles of accessible mines remain. It features some of the most stunning mines in the country with several horse whims and an 80 metre engine shaft in Rampghill. The mines closed in 1961 and there is a Heritage Centre displaying their history.
The economy of the village is based around tourism. England's most popular long distance cycle route, the C2C, passes through Nenthead.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
is one of England's highest villages, at 1,500 feet. It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
in Britain. Nenthead was a major centre for lead and silver mining in the North Pennines
North Pennines
The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north-south through northern England. It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east...
of Britain.
London Lead Company
The London Lead Company was an 18th and 19th century British lead mining company. It was incorporated by royal charter. Strictly, it was The Company for Smelting Down Lead with Pitcoal.-Origins:...
in the Nenthead Mines - some of the most productive in the country. The benevolent Quakers built, amongst other things, housing, a school, a reading room, public baths and a wash-house for the miners and their families. Nenthead was the first villages in the UK to have electric street lighting from excess power generated by the mines. The mines were responsible for as many good things as well as bad, life expectancy was short but the children were being educated.
For many mine explorers
Mine exploration
Mine exploration is a hobby in which people visit abandoned mines, quarries, and sometimes operational mines. Enthusiasts usually engage in such activities for the purpose of exploration and documentation, sometimes through the use of surveying and photography. In this respect, mine exploration...
Nenthead is a mecca as hundreds of miles of accessible mines remain. It features some of the most stunning mines in the country with several horse whims and an 80 metre engine shaft in Rampghill. The mines closed in 1961 and there is a Heritage Centre displaying their history.
The economy of the village is based around tourism. England's most popular long distance cycle route, the C2C, passes through Nenthead.
External links
- Wright Brothers - Well known BusBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
& CoachCoach (vehicle)A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
operator who are based in Nenthead - http://www.virtualalston.homedns.org/
- Nenthead Mines Heritage Centre