We are hosting free Heritage Open Day events on 12, 13 and 19 September at Haltwhistle Railway Station.
Heritage Homes of Northumberland and Cumbria
Saturday, 12 and Sunday, 13 September 10am to 3pm in the Old Booking Hall, Haltwhistle, NE49 9HN
Local support group Zigzag Days will be exhibiting a wonderful display of scale models of heritage homes from Roman barracks, through the turbulent times of the Reivers, to those built in more recent times for workers involved in the coal, forestry, water and rail industries.
Members of the group spent more than a year undertaking research, then learning new skills to design and build the wonderful models.
The exhibition has never been on public display in Haltwhistle previously so this event provides an opportunity to see the models, learn about the history of the various homes and chat to members of the group about their project.
Exploring Railway Heritage at Haltwhistle
Saturday, 19 September 10am to 4pm in the Signal Box, Old Booking Hall, Haltwhistle Railway Station NE49 9HN
Come along and enjoy activities - there will be something for everyone.
A rare opportunity to see inside the imposing former signal box, which towers above the platforms at Haltwhistle Railway Station. Learn what all the levers do and find out about the role of a signaller. Access to the signal box is via steep steps and may be unsuitable for people who are mobility impaired. Children under the age of 7 years are not permitted to visit the signal box.
The Old Booking Hall will be open and visitors will be able to see the racks built to store Edmondson tickets. Visitors will also learn about our Railway 200 projects "Song for Edmondson" and "Rocket: Past, Presentation and Future" which involved staff and children from Hallbankgate Village School, Lanercost CoE Primary School and Brampton's William Howard School. Watch the videos of the children performing the new songs about the railway heritage of Brampton Station created during the project. Find out about how railways standardised time and try out the human sun dial (hopefully the sun will shine!). Take a walk beside the River South Tyne and marvel at Alston Arches, the viaduct which carried trains along the Alston Branch. In the waiting room on platform 1, you will be able to see an exhibition of posters encouraging promoting rail travel in Victorian times and you will learn about the punishment for people trespassing on the railway too.
You will be able to do some train spotting too. In addition to the normal Northern services, LNER will be diverting some of its services along the Tyne Valley Railway as a result of engineering work on the East Coast Main Line.
The cafe in the 1861 former water tower, used to store water for the steam locomotives, will be open serving refreshments and freshly made food.
There are many other Heritage Open Day events taking place in the Tyne Valley Railway area and across the country between 11 and 20 September. Find out more about about other events, exhibitions and displays on the Heritage Open Days website You might be able to plan a day out by train to visit some of them.