Alston Moor Historical Society

Below you will find publications relating to Alston Moor

If you have a relevant publication that you would like us to feature on this site, please get in touch.

The History of Alston Moor

The History of Alston Moor

by Alastair Robertson
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The History Of Alston Moor
The History of Alston Moor


Alston Moor is home to the source of the River South Tyne,

it is part of the Church of England diocese of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,

it has other associations with the east rather than the west, and yet Alston Moor sits uncomfortably, like a square peg in a round hole, within the county of Cumbria.

Alston Moor has a history quite distinct from the counties that surround it. This is the story of a people and a landscape throughout the centuries.

First published December 1998, reprinted 1999 & 2002.
2nd, enlarged edition 2010.

ISBN 978-0-9547339-5-7

54 b/w photos, 16 line drawings and maps.
173 pages,.

"... may I congratulate you on your excellent book 'A History of Alston Moor'. I found it both entertaining and informative." M.V.W.
£15.50
Foreigners in the Hills

The Foreigners in the Hills

by Alastair Robertson
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Foreigners in the Hills
The Foreigners in the Hills

The Vieille Montagne Zinc Company of Belgium came to the north Pennines in 1896 to extract zinc and lead ore for shipment to Belgium.

Before the First World War the ‘VM’ employed many foreigners. The international workforce came from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France and Hungary. Some men married local girls. Their children were born here and went to school here.

The VM survived two world wars and the interwar economic depression. Then, after fifty-two years in operation, it sold up to the Anglo Austral Company in 1949.

First published May 2012.

ISBN 978-0-9547339-6-4 24 b/w photos, 2 line drawings & maps. 110 pages

“The author records the fascinating series of events …” The Northumbrian
£12.00

Postage & packaging included in the price

Whitley Castle - Epiacum

Whitley Castle - Epiacum

by Alastair Robertson
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Whitley Castle - Epiacum
WHITLEY CASTLE, ‘EPIACUM’

The Roman fort near Alston in Cumbria

Whitley Castle, situated on the Maiden Way, was established to control the lead and silver produced in the area, but little was known about it until a recent survey by English Heritage.

The appeal to archaeologists is the fort’s state of preservation, relatively unscathed compared to those on Hadrian’s Wall.

This short account, first published over ten years before the survey, summarises all the written historical evidence.

First printed 1996, reprinted 1996 & 1997. 2nd, revised edition 1999, reprinted 2007.

ISBN 0-9547339-4-0
6 b/w photos. 6 line drawings & maps.
32 pages.

“… able summary of the importance of the site, and his splendid booklet .... are the clear jumping-off points for further research.” T.W.
£5.00
Alston Moor and the Great War

Alston Moor and the Great War

by Alastair Robertson
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Alston Moor and the Great War
ALSTON MOOR AND THE GREAT WAR

Alston Moor in Cumbria is a bleak upland area of about 70 square miles of the north Pennines. Before the Great War it was a unique community in Britain.

The Vieille Montagne Zinc Company of Belgium was by far the biggest employer for miles around, with an international workforce of English, Belgians, Germans and Italians.

On 4th August 1914 their working relationship changed for ever. This is the story of the effect that the Great War had on one small remote community.

“This is a moving history. It records the ordinary lives of ordinary people as they are caught up in a terrible tragedy.” Cumberland News

“… packed with interesting stories … entertaining and at times moving.” Cumberland & Westmorland Herald

“… a fascinating snapshot of how the war hit local communities …” Hexham Courant

“Thank you for donating your excellent book to the Museum.” Imperial War Museum
£12.00

Postage & packaging included in the price

Limekilns in the North Pennines

Limekilns of the North Pennines

by Alastair Robertson
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The Walton Family
LIMEKILNS OF THE NORTH PENNINES


“The Lime Industry has been aptly termed the “Cinderella” of the Chemical industries. Compared with others of equal importance it has been neglected by technical writers and investigators, and manufacturers have been content to use antiquated and insufficient methods of manufacture without any serious attempt at their improvement.”
N.V.S. Knibbs in ‘Lime and Magnesia’, 1924

First printed in 1999 by North Pennines Heritage Trust, this little book attempts to shed light on lime burning in the north Pennines from its first appearance in Roman times until its last gasp in the 1960’s.
£4.00
Stacks Image 328676

The Roachburn Pit Disaster

by Alastair Robertson
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The Roachburn Pit Disaster
The Story of the Roachburn Pit Disaster

January 28th 1908


“February 1908 is a month never to be forgotten by any of us. The whole catastrophe had come upon us like a thunderbolt, so sudden and unexpected that none of us were prepared for it,” from ‘The Farlam Journal’.

A roadside memorial at the hamlet of Coal Fell near Hallbankgate commemorates the tragedy that had such an insignificant beginning.

First printed 1997, reprinted 2008.

ISBN 978-0-9547339-3-3 15 b/w photos. 5 line drawings. 42 pages,

“... written effectively to produce a straightforward yet dramatic account which tells the chief points of the tale easily and clearly.” Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society Newsletter
£5.40
About Us
Alston Moor Historical Society was founded in 1973 and, due to the nature of Alston Moor, it is a member of both the Northumberland Association of Local History Societies and the Cumbria Federation of Local History Societies.
Alston Moor Historical Society
LOCATION
Alston Moor, Cumbria. UK.
Alston Moor Historical Society - Publications