- Haltwhistle Burn
The Haltwhistle Burn lies to the east of the Northumbrian town of
Haltwhistle . Rising in the peaty uplands below the ridge of theWhin Sill , the burn passes through the Roman Military Zone south ofHadrian's Wall and through a dramatic sandstone gorge before descending between wooded banks to the South Tyne Valley.Today the Burn is a haven for wildlife and a popular walk for residents and tourists but from Roman times until the 1930s the combination of valuable minerals and water power attracted a succession of industries which provided goods and employment to the town.Geology and associated industries
The rocks underlying this part of
Northumberland were laid down during theCarboniferous Period when variations in sea level resulted in successive deposits oflimestone ,shale ,sandstone , andcoal , known in the UK asYoredale cycles and in the US ascyclothems . The water of the Haltwhistle Burn has cut through these deposits giving access to building stone, clay and coal, leading to the development of the associated industries of quarrying,lime burning , brick, tile and pipe manufacture, coal mining andcoke (fuel) andcoal-gas production.Ironstone , found in association with the coal seams was also smelted on the banks of the burn. ["Ancient Frontiers. Exploring the geology and landscape of the Hadrian's Wall Area", published by theBritish Geological Survey , 2006, ISBN 085272541-8.] ["Northumbrian Rocks and Landscape; a field guide." ed. Colin Scrutton, published byYorkshire Geological Society 1995 ISBN 1-873551-11-8.]Water power
The bed of the burn descends into the valley at a gentle angle of approximately 1 degree but the fall is sufficient to have run a corn mill and three woollen manufactories during the 18th and 19th centuries. The earliest of these processes to be mechanised was
fulling , with the first records on the site dating to 1612. Later, with advances in technology, thecarding andspinning of wool was also carried out inwatermills . The advent of steam-driven mills led to the abandonment of woollen processing along the burn. Two mills were demolished in the 1930s and the remainingfulling mill is now a dwelling. ["History of the Manor and Church of Haltwhistle", C.E. Adamson, 1861, published by George Nicholson, Southshields.] ["History, Topography, & Directory of Northumberland (Hexham Division)" ed. T.F. Bulmer 1886, pub. T. Bulmer & Co. Manchester]References
----
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.