Nenthead

History

Nenthead was a major centre for lead and silver mining in the North Pennines of Britain. The first smelt mill was built at Nenthead in 1737 by George Liddle, and this was subsequently expanded by the London Lead Company. By 1882 the smelt mill was capable of smelting 8,000 bings, i.e., 64000 long cwt, of ore per annum.

Nenthead village in 1861 had 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 Quakers built housing, a school, a reading room, public baths and a wash-house for the miners and their families.

Nenthead has accessible mines remaining, horse whims and a 260 ft engine shaft in Rampghill. The mines closed in 1961 and there is a heritage centre displaying their history.

The economy of the village relies on tourism. A long distance cycle route, the C2C, passes through Nenthead. The Grade 2 listed Wesleyan Methodist chapel has not been used since 2002 but benefitted from a Heritage Lottery Grant of £134,500. The post office and community shop occupies the building which was once a reading room for the miners.

Nenthead is around 4.4 mi east of Alston, 44.3 mi west of Newcastle upon Tyne, 34.4 mi south east of Carlisle, 24 mi east of Penrith, and 20.5 mi west of Hexham.

County Council subsidies have maintained limited bus services to Alston and beyond. However, in 2014 cuts to these subsidies were being discussed, threatening the existence of bus services for the village.

Governance

Nenthead is in the parliamentary constituency of Penrith and Solway.

Before April 2023 for Local Government purposes it was in the Alston Moor Ward of Eden District Council and the Alston and East Fellside Division of Cumbria County Council. Nenthead does not have its own parish council, instead it is part of Alston Moor Parish Council. Since 2023 it has been in the unitary authority District of Westmorland and Furness and the now purely ceremonial county of Cumbria.

Zinc deposits

In 2013 the Canadian mining company Minco sank 1640 ft deep boreholes in an effort to discover the extent of zinc deposits beneath Nenthead. Although test drilling could go on for several years, the company believes that the village may be sited on huge deposits of the chemical element. The zinc is 490 ft below the surface and was previously too deep to reach by old mining techniques.

Climate

With a northernly latitude of 55° N and altitude of 437 m Amsl, Nenthead has one of the coldest and snowiest climates in England, yielding a borderline subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) and cool oceanic climate (Cfb). The average annual temperature in Nenthead is 6.5 °C; 1,095 mm of precipitation falls annually, chiefly in winter as heavy snowfall, and in autumn.

Flag

In 2014, vexillologist and heraldicist Philip Tibbetts designed a flag for the village. The flag was officially adopted and registered with the Flag Institute on 11 May 2014. The green triangle on the flag symbolises the top of the River Nent valley, from which the village gets its name. The green triangle also refers to nearby Knowbury Hill as the eastern-most point of the historic county of Cumberland with the green shade used the same as that of the Flag of Cumberland. The eight-pointed star upon the triangle is the Star of Quakerism and refers to the origins of the village. The black and white vertical hoops depict the seams of lead and silver ore that lie beneath the area and upon which the industry of the village was based.

References

References

1. "The wonderfully beautiful Hive at Nenthead #TheHiveNenthead is reopening on 4th July 2020".
2. p178 Fairbairn (1993) The Mines of Alston Moor.
3. Cumberland and Westmoreland Herald 8 March 2014 page 2 'High Sheriff's stamp of approval for Nenthead plan'
4. The Cumberland News 25 July 2014 'Keep bus services or we'll be stranded': 'Fears remote areas will be more isolated'.The report cites the subsidies provided by Cumbria CC; 'Each year the 680 service from Nenthead to Carlisle and the 889 from Nenthead to Hexham, that runs only on a Tuesday, cost the council £22,953 and £2,264 respectively'. The CC has no statutory duty to subsidise transport.
5. "Alston Moor Parish Council".
6. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/village-digs-deep-into-its-mining-past-zinc-deposits-could-return-a-oncethriving-pennine-community-to-its-glory-days-9053698.html The Independent] (Accessed 12 January 2014) Gives details of possible zinc deposits.
7. "Nenthead Flag".