Shilbottle
Encyclopedia
Shilbottle is a village in Northumberland
, north-east England, located 3 miles south-east of Alnwick
, and 5 miles from the coast and Alnmouth
. The village stands close to the A1 (Britain
's longest road, connecting Edinburgh
to London
).
began in the district around 1728; by the end of the 18th century six shafts were operating around Blue Lodge Farm (a.k.a. Colliery Farm). In the early 20th century, Shilbottle Colliery was bought for £50 by the English Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), a federation of consumer co-operatives, who upgraded the mining site: a new village of 170 houses was built, including some cottages for aged miners. Furthermore, Shilbottle Colliery was the only pit in the area where workers were given a week's holiday with pay, and a pension
scheme. The National Coal Board
took over after the Second World War; production continued until a decline in the 1970s. The pit closed in 1981, and the workforce transferred to nearby Whittle
.
church of St. James was built in 1885, at a cost of £4,000. It is in the Early English style, but stands on the site of an earlier church; the church register dates from 1681.
Adjacent to the church is Shilbottle Tower, a three-storey pele tower
built before 1415 and subsequently incorporated into the former vicarage.
Before the fire a fundraising event took place to raise money for a new hall for the community as the original structure was beginning to erode due to heavy use over the years and was costing to much to maintain. The total cost for a new hall included a big estimation for the demolition of the old hall. The local bowls club made an appearance on the front page of local newspaper 'The Journal' inside of the hall wielding umbrellas - underlining the state of the hall - appealing for funds. Weeks later the hall burned down at approximately 2:30am on a Saturday night. A member of the Shilbottle parish said it was down to 'a possible electrical fault'.
Paul Andrucci, who lives right opposite the building and is secretary of the welfare hall management committee, said “Someone noticed some light in the hall’s roof space in the early hours and alerted the caretaker, but by that time the roof was on fire. With the hall being mostly wooden it was just like a tinderbox, and within about half an hour to 45 minutes it was virtually gone". Shilbottle Parish vice chairman Peter Brown said: "Whether it was water got in or whether the bad weather forced the mice back in and they chewed through the wires we just do not know.
"We are waiting for the insurance company to come up and say what they are going to do."
As of October 2009, construction work started on the new welfare community centre. An array of environmentally friendly energy technologies, including a wind turbine, ground source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, are to be incorporated into the building, which will be constructed by Stephen Easten Building, part of the Esh Group. It will include a main hall, multi-use rooms, kitchen and Sport England-approved changing rooms for the village's football and cricket teams.
Peter Brown, who chairs the Shilbottle Community Hall fundraising committee, said: "We're delighted with the design of the building."http://alnwick.journallive.co.uk/news/work-about-to-start-on-new-shi.html
Shilbottle Community Hall is now fully rebuilt and was officially opened on the 12th of September 2010. Information on activities and events at the hall can be found at www.shilbottlecommunityhall.co.uk
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, north-east England, located 3 miles south-east of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
, and 5 miles from the coast and Alnmouth
Alnmouth
Alnmouth is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated just off the main A1068 road , about south-east of Alnwick.Located at the mouth of the River Aln, the village has been an important trading port in Northumberland's past, mainly involved in the export of grain, and smuggling. Due to...
. The village stands close to the A1 (Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's longest road, connecting Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
).
History
Coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
began in the district around 1728; by the end of the 18th century six shafts were operating around Blue Lodge Farm (a.k.a. Colliery Farm). In the early 20th century, Shilbottle Colliery was bought for £50 by the English Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), a federation of consumer co-operatives, who upgraded the mining site: a new village of 170 houses was built, including some cottages for aged miners. Furthermore, Shilbottle Colliery was the only pit in the area where workers were given a week's holiday with pay, and a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
scheme. The National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
took over after the Second World War; production continued until a decline in the 1970s. The pit closed in 1981, and the workforce transferred to nearby Whittle
Whittle
Whittle may refer to:*Whittling, the carving of wood with a knife*Whittle , a game show on Channel 5 presented by Tim Vine*Whittle, Derbyshire, a hamlet near Glossop, Derbyshire, United Kingdom...
.
Buildings
The local AnglicanAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church of St. James was built in 1885, at a cost of £4,000. It is in the Early English style, but stands on the site of an earlier church; the church register dates from 1681.
Adjacent to the church is Shilbottle Tower, a three-storey pele tower
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
built before 1415 and subsequently incorporated into the former vicarage.
Village Hall Fire
Shilbottle welfare hall which dated back to the 1960s and served the community in a variety of ways burned down in September 2008. The welfare hall was mainly used to accommodate the cricket and bowls club and was also well used by the massive young population of Shilbottle as a youth club.Before the fire a fundraising event took place to raise money for a new hall for the community as the original structure was beginning to erode due to heavy use over the years and was costing to much to maintain. The total cost for a new hall included a big estimation for the demolition of the old hall. The local bowls club made an appearance on the front page of local newspaper 'The Journal' inside of the hall wielding umbrellas - underlining the state of the hall - appealing for funds. Weeks later the hall burned down at approximately 2:30am on a Saturday night. A member of the Shilbottle parish said it was down to 'a possible electrical fault'.
Paul Andrucci, who lives right opposite the building and is secretary of the welfare hall management committee, said “Someone noticed some light in the hall’s roof space in the early hours and alerted the caretaker, but by that time the roof was on fire. With the hall being mostly wooden it was just like a tinderbox, and within about half an hour to 45 minutes it was virtually gone". Shilbottle Parish vice chairman Peter Brown said: "Whether it was water got in or whether the bad weather forced the mice back in and they chewed through the wires we just do not know.
"We are waiting for the insurance company to come up and say what they are going to do."
As of October 2009, construction work started on the new welfare community centre. An array of environmentally friendly energy technologies, including a wind turbine, ground source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, are to be incorporated into the building, which will be constructed by Stephen Easten Building, part of the Esh Group. It will include a main hall, multi-use rooms, kitchen and Sport England-approved changing rooms for the village's football and cricket teams.
Peter Brown, who chairs the Shilbottle Community Hall fundraising committee, said: "We're delighted with the design of the building."http://alnwick.journallive.co.uk/news/work-about-to-start-on-new-shi.html
Shilbottle Community Hall is now fully rebuilt and was officially opened on the 12th of September 2010. Information on activities and events at the hall can be found at www.shilbottlecommunityhall.co.uk
Graffiti
In recent years, roadsigns to the village have been altered by the method of 'crossing' the first 'l' in 'shilbottle' to make it appear as a 't' on roadsigns, thus making it read as an obscenity. Although signs have been restored and replaced over the years, this continues to be a problem.External links
- Northumberland Communities: Shilbottle (history)
- Shilbottle Community Hall, Re-opened August 2010
- The Shilbottle Skills Centre, opened 2000.
- GENUKI (Accessed: 7 November 2008)