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Places to stay in Falstone
Falstone village, lying within the North Tyne valley, is perhaps mostly associated today as being situated near to the Kielder Dam. The development of the dam however is quite a recent development in the history of the village and the area in general. The village of Falstone is situated on the banks of the North Tyne river, nine miles northwest of Bellingham and 26 miles northwest of Hexham. At the end of the nineteenth century, it is known that Falstone had a station on the North British railway, extending from Riccarton junction on the line that ran from Hexham to Morpeth. Coal was abundant in the district, with two collieries functioning; freestone and limestone quarries were in operation too. Trades were represented in the village, with a blacksmith, shoemaker, tinsmith, tailor, joiner, and linen man. The parish population in 1801 was 437 people; in 1821 this had risen to 501, and by 1841 the total number of people in the parish had risen again to 560. With traditional industries in decline in the twentieth century, the Forestry Commission moved in during the 1920s and created housing and jobs. This too declined as the century moved on, and today Kielder Water and its seasonal employment is more likely to provide work. Falstone still retains its lovely aspect in a beautiful part of Northumberland.
