Allenheads Heritage Centre

Allenheads Heritage Centre sits in the heart of one of the highest villages in England, tucked into the East Allen valley high on the North Pennines. Housed in converted blacksmith's premises next to the village car park, it tells the story of the lead mining industry that once made Allenheads the most productive lead mine in Europe, run by the Beaumont and later the London Lead Company.

Inside, you'll find displays on the miners and their families, the geology of the Pennine orefield, and the engineering feats that supplied water and power to the mines. The centre keeps a large horizontal hydraulic engine dating from the 19th century, which was recovered locally and restored as one of the last surviving examples of its type. Photographs, tools and everyday objects help build a picture of village life when Allenheads had schools, chapels, a reading room and hundreds of working households.

The site also includes a small tea room and a peace garden, and forms a natural starting point for walks around the village to see the surviving mine buildings, leats and reservoirs. It's a useful stop for anyone travelling the 688 bus route up from Hexham to understand why this remote spot exists at all.