Hedley on the Hill
Encyclopedia
Hedley on the Hill is a village in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, west of Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. It is located between the valley of the River Derwent
River Derwent, North East England
The River Derwent is a river on the border between County Durham and Northumberland in the north east of England. It broadens into the Derwent Reservoir, west of Consett. The Derwent is a tributary of the River Tyne, which it joins near the MetroCentre...
, and the watershed to the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
.
Despite being close to a major city, Hedley is typically Northumbrian and rural in character. Situated close to the villages of Stocksfield
Stocksfield
Stocksfield is a small, sprawling commuter village situated close to the River Tyne, about west of Newcastle upon Tyne and east of Hexham in the southern part of Northumberland, England...
and Chopwell
Chopwell
Chopwell is a village in Tyne and Wear, located approximately three miles west of Rowlands Gill and one mile north of Hamsterley.Traditionally an area of coal mining, Chopwell was nicknamed "Little Moscow" because of the strong support for the Communist Party...
as well as to the rural market town of Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
it is a small, placid village offering stunning views across the Tyne valley.
Hedley is not typical of Northumberland in many respects. Firstly, it appears to have escaped rather unscathed in the wars between England and Scotland that occurred before the union. There are no records of any battles in the area. Similarly, there is no record of any activity involving border reivers (tribal leaders and outlaws that fought across the Scottish/English border) in the village. This has enabled it to develop in relative isolation, with mining and quarrying being the prominent industries since the eighteenth century.
The village holds numerous events including the annual barrel race in which contestants, usually in pairs, run up the hill to the pub with a barrel of beer. It is also popular with gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
enthusiasts, being the closest village to the Northumbria Gliding Club at Currock Hill.
Hedley on the Hill is also close to Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
a World Heritage Site and located in the far south of "Hadrian's Wall Country".
Barrel Race is run every bank holiday Monday, and organised by The Feathers Inn. Competitors carry an empty nine-gallon beer barrel, over a 1.5 mile course
Governance
Hedley is in the parliamentary constituency of HexhamHexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...
.