West Allen
| West Allen | |
|---|---|
Ruined buildings at Appletree Shield | |
West Allen Location within Northumberland | |
| Population | 280 (Parish, 2021)[1] |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HEXHAM |
| Postcode district | NE47 |
| UK Parliament | |
West Allen is a civil parish in Northumberland, England. The parish covers the valley of the River West Allen. The main settlements in the parish are Carrshield and Ninebanks. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 280.
History
The parish of West Allen was created in 1897 from part of the parish of Allendale, which had historically been a chapelry within the ancient parish of Hexham.[2]
Prior to the 1897 split, the parish of Allendale had covered the two neighbouring valleys of Allendale itself along the East Allen river and West Allendale along the West Allen river. The parish was subdivided into a number of townships and also had an extensive area of common land known as Allendale Common. In 1897, the townships in West Allendale were constituted a separate civil parish called West Allen.[3][4] Allendale Common was deemed to be common to both the reduced parish of Allendale and the new parish of West Allen, making for very complicated parish boundaries.[5] The boundaries between Allendale and West Allen were eventually simplified in 1987, when Allendale Common was split between the two parishes.[6]
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering West Allen, at parish and unitary authority level: Allendale Parish Council and Northumberland County Council. The parish council generally meets alternately at Ninebanks Church and Community Hall and at Carrshield Village Hall, the latter being in the converted Barney Craig Mine Shop.[7][8]
For national elections, West Allen forms part of the Hexham constituency.[9]
References
- ^ "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 April 2026. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
- ^ Youngs, Frederic (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. xv, 316. ISBN 0861931270.
- ^ Annual Report of the Local Government Board. 1897. p. 281. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Northumberland. 1914. pp. 39–40. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "Northumberland: Diagram showing Administrative Boundaries". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. 1972. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "The Tynedale (Parishes) Order 1986" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "Agendas 2025". West Allen Parish Council. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ^ "Carrshield Village Hall". West Allen Parish Council. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 3 April 2026.