History

The History of Acklington Parish

A Village of Change

Acklington is a village of change, reinvention, and transformation. From farming to collieries, to open-cast mining, before transforming back to farming, it has created some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain.

Along the way, Acklington was also home to an RAF station with Spitfires, Hurricanes, and fighter jets.

All that remains of RAF Acklington are the airman’s married quarters; today, these have been lovingly transformed into beautiful village homes.

Early History

Neolithic ring carvings, Bronze Age human bones, an Iron Age settlement, and a relic of a major Roman road bear testament to human activity in this area since time immemorial.

Middle Ages

Aecceley, or Acklington as it is now called, first came into being as a village when an Anglo-Saxon farming family named Aeccel built their homes on this spot. Accurate records of the parish have only been kept since these times.

Guyzance, a hamlet within today’s parish boundary, has existed since around 1242. The name is thought to be derived from a priory, built nearby for nuns in 1147, which was dedicated to St Wilfred of Gysnes.

The Normans, having arrived in Britain, built Warkworth Castle in the 12th century. Acklington and Guyzance were included within the parish of Warkworth, and the inhabitants of both became bond tenants of the Lords of Warkworth. It was not until 1859 that Acklington became a parish in its own right.

During the 14th century, Northumberland fell victim to violent incursions from north of the border. Acklington was left devastated, plundered, and razed to the ground on many occasions. Worse was to follow with the arrival of the Black Death, which ravaged the area already laid low by the constant savagery from the Scots. Gradually, the area recovered.

Modern History

The Industrial Revolution briefly came to the parish when a foundry was built in 1779 on the banks of the Coquet in Acklington Park. A curved dam, still considered one of the finest in Britain, was also constructed to provide power for the mill. In 1980, after several other manufacturing uses, the building was finally converted into private housing.

During Queen Victoria’s reign, the Railway Station, the Village School (closed in 2018), and the Parish Church were erected. It was after the building of St John the Divine that Acklington gained its own parish.

Throughout the middle ages and continuing to the present day, farming has been the enduring economic activity. A leading cattle mart, mainly auctioning prime cattle and sheep and also selling farm machinery, has been at Acklington for over a century. Coal has been mined in the parish since the 18th century. The last open-cast mine closed in 1991, and the land was restored to farming use.

In 1916, a small field just south of Acklington was made into a landing strip and used by the first biplanes during WW1. After 1918, it expanded and became known as RAF Acklington, playing a major part in the Second World War. A housing estate was built on the eastern side of the village to accommodate the officers and their families. Even today, although most houses are privately owned, it is often locally referred to as ‘The Married Quarters’.

After the war, the importance of the airfield declined until Acklington Prison was developed on the former site of the RAF station in 1972. Apart from the Church, which still holds a Sunday morning service, Acklington Village Hall, opened in 1925, provides the central hub—not only for the village, but for the wider community. In many ways, the Village Hall is the beating heart of Acklington, hosting the Bowls Club, WI, Christmas Fayre, dance classes, Pilates, dog training, and weddings.

Acklington Today

Today’s Acklington is a village of enterprise: from the large, multi-million-pound turnover Acklington Auction Mart, to smaller specialist businesses like Morwick Dairy Ice Cream and the family-run brewery Rigg & Furrow.

So that’s Acklington: friendly people with a warm welcome, in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. Supported by the Acklington Community Team, the village thrives through working together, having fun, and making it a great place to live.