Bardon Mill

Bardon Mill is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated to the west of Haydon Bridge and Hexham, on the River South Tyne.

Governance

Bardon Mill is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.

Economy

The only commercial pottery in the UK currently licensed to produce salt glaze pottery is Errington Reay.

Transport

;Rail

The village is served by Bardon Mill railway station on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line. The station is on the south side of the village close by the River South Tyne. The line was opened in 1838, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with Carlisle in Cumbria. The line follows the course of the River Tyne through Northumberland. Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern and Abellio ScotRail. The line is also heavily used for freight.

;Bus

The Arriva North East 685 bus which runs between Newcastle and Carlisle also serves Bardon Mill.

;Road

The village is served by the A69 road, which is a major road running east-west across the Pennines, linking Newcastle upon Tyne with Carlisle in Cumbria.

Amenities

The local pub in Bardon Mill is the Bowes Hotel (pictured). The church services alternate weekly between Beltingham and Henshaw churches both of which are very close to the village. There is a very active Women's Institute.

A leek club show is held every year, the produce from which is auctioned along with donations the day after the show. Funds are then donated to local charities. Every October there is the Bardon Mill and Roman Empire conkers championships held on the village green. Local community projects are asked to run a stall at the event to raise funds for either their own projects. These include Growability at Ridley Hall, who provide work experience for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs.

Landmarks

A little over a mile to the south-west, Willimoteswick Manor is a 16th-century fortified manor house, largely rebuilt in 1900. Just over a mile east of Bardon Mill is Ridley Hall and Allen Banks. Ridley Hall was part of the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyons, the late Queen Mother's family. Weddings and other functions are often held there including a Burns Night Ceilidh which is organised by the local church. The churches for the area are in Beltingham and Henshaw.

Allen Banks, which were the grounds belonging to the hall, were donated to the National Trust and have 500 acres of riverbank and woodland walks, affording some of the best vistas in the area.

Northumberland National Park is located within a couple of miles of Bardon Mill.

The Northern end of the North Pennines is just a mile or so from here.

Vindolanda Roman settlement is in the parish just over a mile north of the A69. It is a world-renowned site and the location of the finding of the Vindolanda tablets, the oldest 'postcards' in the world. Some of these are to be found in the museum at Vindolanda along with a great many Roman finds from the days of the emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's Wall is located three miles north of Bardon Mill and is a World Heritage Site. Many people come from all over the world to see the Wall and the forts along it, the best preserved of which is Housesteads located three miles from the village.

There is a very popular Hadrian's Wall Path 83 mile trail and also Hadrian's Cycleway which comes into the village.

Notable residents

Lilian Bowes-Lyon (1895–1949), was born and grew up at Ridley Hall, near Bardon Mill. She wrote many poems about Northumberland, including Allendale Dog and Northumbrian farm. She was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900–2002) — the widow of King George VI, and mother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Folklore

A nearby farm is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a robber, who was murdered there in the 14th century. Its last alleged sighting was in 1933.