Haughton Castle

Haughton Castle is a privately owned country mansion and Grade I listed building, situated to the north of the village of Humshaugh on the west bank of the North Tyne. It is around 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) north of the market town of Hexham, Northumberland. It was built originally in the 13th century as a tower house and enlarged and fortified in the 14th century. At this time the castle was owned by Gerald Widdrington and, although the Widdringtons still owned it in the early 14th century, the Swinburns were living there. By the 16th century, the castle fell into ruin and disrepair, and it was attacked by Border reivers. A survey of 1541 reported the roof and floors to be "decayed and gone". The property was acquired by the Smith family in about 1640, but in 1715 a further survey stated the building to be ruinous. Significant alterations were carried out for the Smiths between 1816 and 1845, latterly by architect John Dobson to convert the ruin into a substantial mansion. The Crawshaw family came into possession in 1862, and a west wing was added for them by Anthony Salvin in 1876. In the late 19th century it was acquired by the Cruddas family. Part of the castle served as a hospital during the Second World War. It is currently owned by the Braithwaite family. Some commentators suggest it is the location for the traditional song "Waters of Tyne".

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Barrasford

Barrasford is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated to the north of Hexham, on the North Tyne. Barrasford is an ancient village that lies within the shadow of Haughton Castle. The village is notable for being the location of a Bronze Age burial site where the Reaverhill Dagger was excavated in 1964. Today Barrasford is noted for its quarry. The scourge of tuberculosis lent urgency to the need for action in the North East. In 1902 a subscription fund was set up to finance the building of a sanatorium to treat patients. William Watson-Armstrong, who became Baron Armstrong after the death of his great-uncle Lord Armstrong of Cragside, gave £4000 – equivalent to £350,000 today. The Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland sanatorium opened in 1907 on the moors above the neighbouring villages of Barrasford and Gunnerton. It treated victims of tuberculosis at a time when 60,000 people a year were dying from the disease in England and Wales, and the annual mortality rate in Newcastle alone was nearly 600. In 1974 Barrasford was the setting for the "Affairs and Relations" episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?.

Hospital Neighbourhood

Barrasford railway station

Barrasford railway station served the village of Barrasford, Northumberland, England from 1859 to 1958 on the Border Counties Railway.

Landmark Train

Chollerton railway station

Chollerton railway station served the village of Chollerton, Northumberland, England from 1859 to 1958 on the Border Counties Railway.

Landmark Train

Tynedale

Tynedale was a local government district in Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 census. The main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. The district contained part of Hadrian's Wall and the southern part of Northumberland National Park. With an area of 2,219 km2 (857 sq mi) it was the largest English district created in 1974 and remained so until 1996 when it was superseded by the East Riding of Yorkshire. It was bigger than several English counties, including Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Hertfordshire. It was also the second-least densely populated district (behind Eden, Cumbria). The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of Hexham and Prudhoe urban districts, along with Bellingham, Haltwhistle and Hexham rural districts. Tynedale was historically a liberty created alongside the county of Hexhamshire by Henry I of England. The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England effective from 1 April 2009 with responsibilities being transferred to Northumberland County Council, a unitary authority. However, the name "Tynedale", which predates the formation of the council, is still widely used for the Tyne Valley area of Northumberland. Since then, Northumberland County Council has had a Tynedale area committee covering the area.

Government National Park