Ovington, Northumberland

Ovington is a village and civil parish in the south of Northumberland, England. It is located on a hill above the north bank of the River Tyne.

1. History

Very little has been found from prehistoric times except for a cup and ring marked stone at Hunters Hill. It had an extraordinary range of symbols carved on it and is our only clue to the people who lived here in the Neolithic.

There is a big gap in the evidence for the rest of the prehistoric period, as well as the Roman and early medieval periods. The next hint of life in the parish comes in medieval times. Ovington Hall has some 14th-century stonework in its outbuildings and may have an old building at its core. To the north on the west bank of the Whittle Burn adjacent to the A69 are the vestiges of the medieval Nafferton Castle. At a time when northern England was suffering the ravages of war with Scotland, Ovington seems to have escaped without mention. Likewise, it has no trace of the 16th and 17th century defensive farmhouses, called bastles, that are found elsewhere in the county. The earliest buildings in Ovington seem to have been built in the 16th and 17th centuries. Village Farm may be one of the earliest and, although it is a little like a bastle, its walls are much thinner and would not have withstood any prolonged attack. Hunter's Cottage is another 17th or 18th century farm and is a rare survival of an earlier type of farm. The 18th and 19th centuries were a fairly prosperous time for the border region of England and fine buildings such as Ovington Hall were built. As well as developments in farm methods and practice, new industries developed, such as brewing at the Old Brewery.

1. Governance

Ovington is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham. Ovington is in the electoral ward of Stocksfield and Bywell for Northumberland County Council elections.

1. Geography

Whittle Dene is a deep woody dell which stretches southwards & joins the Tyne east of Ovington. The waters of this dene (peculiarly soft & clear) are the most celebrated in the north of England for whitening linen cloth. Mr. William Newton's bleach green, situated on this stream at the confluence of the Tyne is known and famed throughout all these northern parts. (Mackenzie 1825). The Whittle Burn can be traced back to the present day Whittledean Water Works on either side of the Roman Wall near Welton Hall.

1. References


1. External links

Nearby Places View Menu

Cherryburn

Cherryburn is a cottage in Mickley, Northumberland, England. It was the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, an English wood engraver and ornithologist. The cottage, its adjacent farmhouse and large grounds, have been managed by the National Trust since 1991 when they took over responsibility for the site from the Bewick Birthplace Trust. Cherryburn is open to the public.

Historic Site Landmark

A695 road

A695 road is a road in Northern England linking Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, with Hexham, Northumberland.

Landmark

West Mickley

West Mickley is a hamlet east of Stocksfield, in the southern part of Northumberland, England. Along with the neighbouring settlements of High Mickley and Mickley Square, it forms part of the electoral ward of Mickley, Northumberland. It is just over half a mile from the town of Prudhoe and is south of the River Tyne. It is not a big village, being nearly half a mile in length with a main road stretching the full length of it (A695). The small settlement of Mount Pleasant forms part of West Mickley. It has one of the few pubs in the area, the two-centuries-old Blue Bell Inn, though this is closed at the time of writing (2025). On foot, Mount Pleasant is directly accessible from the main part of West Mickley via a steep but paved uphill path alongside High Close Woods and the Belasis Burn. When driving or cycling, however, one needs to take Stonybank Way, which goes uphill just east of the petrol station at Branch End in the neighbouring village of Stocksfield.

Landmark Neighbourhood

Ovingham Bridge

Ovingham Bridges are a pair of side-by-side vehicle and pedestrian bridges across the River Tyne linking Ovingham and Prudhoe in Northumberland, England. Following a lengthy refurbishment programme by Northumberland County Council, Ovingham Bridge re-opened to vehicles on 5 September 2016. The vehicle bridge is a single track of reduced width for cars and light vans only. There is no footpath; pedestrians use the separate footbridge that runs alongside and with the same deck level. The centre piers are set wider, allowing the deck to spread and two vehicles can pass, although this is rare. No traffic controls are installed; drivers observe the far end and wait or enter the bridge using a set of unwritten rules that usually function well.

Bridge Landmark