Haltwhistle is a town in Northumberland, England, situated ten miles east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall. The town has a population of 3,595 (2001).

History

Haltwhistle was probably in existence in Roman times, as it is one of the closest approaches of the River Tyne in its upland reaches to Hadrian's Wall. The old military road passes just two miles to the north of the town.

The development of the town was based on its position on the main Newcastle to Carlisle road and on the Newcastle to Carlisle railway line. Although the name of the town suggests that it may have been named because of the presence of the railway, this is not so; the name Haltwhistle was in existence long before the railways arrived, and derives from the Old English twistle, meaning a meeting of rivers, and possibly the French prefix haut- meaning high.

The expansion of Haltwhistle in the 18th and 19th centuries was due to coal mining in the area and to a lesser extent the use of Haltwhistle as a loading point for metal ores coming from the mines on Alston moors.

More recently, paint manufacture has become a major commercial force in the town.

In the 21st century, the tourist industry dominates the economy with Hadrian's Wall and walking and rambling counting among the principal interests of tourists.

Administration

Haltwhistle lies within Tynedale Distict Council , itself part of Northumberland County Council. It maintains an active Town Council which has succeeded in making a number of local improvements including the establishment of a heated outdoor swimming pool complex which is very popular during the summer months. It is believed that Haltwhistle may be one of the smallest towns to have made such a provision in Great Britain.

Local Attractions

Hadrian's Wall to the north of the town is used a a major selling point for the town. The section of the wall closest to Haltwhistle is among the most spectacular and complete, with the wall striding eastwards from the lake at Crag Lough along the spine of the whin sill . Haltwhistle also claims to be at the geographic centre of Britain - equidistant from the sea as measured along the principal points of the compass. A hotel in the centre of Haltwhistle is named the Centre of Britain Hotel in recognition of this claim. The claim is rather tenuous as it requires that the northern extremity is taken to be the Orkneys rather the Shetlands. See Centre points of the United Kingdom.

External links

• Census data (PDF)