East Allotment

Downs, Moorland in Durham

England

East Allotment

Quarry working at Church Bowers The disused quarry at Church Bowers is on the south-western slope of Fendrith Hill. The workings were shallow and appear to have been made into the rock layer as a series of separate bays, this being one of them.
The distant peak at the centre of the image beyond the valley of the River Tees, is Meldon Hill. — Quarry working at Church Bowers Credit: Trevor Littlewood

East Allotment, Durham, commonly referred to as Downs, Moorland, is a quaint and picturesque village located in the county of Durham, in northeast England. Situated amidst stunning natural landscapes, it offers a tranquil and idyllic setting for its residents and visitors.

The village is known for its rich history, dating back several centuries. It is believed to have been established during the medieval period, and remnants of its past can still be seen in the form of ancient buildings and structures scattered throughout the area. These historical landmarks serve as a testament to the village's cultural heritage.

Surrounded by rolling hills and lush green fields, East Allotment is a haven for nature lovers. The landscape is dotted with charming cottages, many of which have been lovingly restored and maintained. The village exudes a sense of community and is known for its friendly and welcoming residents.

Despite its rural location, East Allotment benefits from excellent transportation links. The nearby A1 motorway provides easy access to neighboring towns and cities, making it convenient for commuters.

Amenities in the village include a local pub, a village hall, and a small convenience store, catering to the everyday needs of its residents. Additionally, the village is home to a primary school, ensuring that families have access to quality education within a close proximity.

East Allotment, Durham, Downs, Moorland, is a hidden gem, offering a peaceful and close-knit community, breathtaking scenery, and a rich history that adds to its charm.

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East Allotment Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.688013/-2.2042468 or Grid Reference NY8632. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Quarry working at Church Bowers

The disused quarry at Church Bowers is on the south-western slope of Fendrith Hill. The workings were shallow and appear to have been made into the rock layer as a series of separate bays, this being one of them. The distant peak at the centre of the image beyond the valley of the River Tees, is Meldon Hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Sheepfold on south-western slope of Fendrith Hill

The well made and intact sheepfold surely sees no use these days. It's on a grassy slope descending to Langdon Beck, between Redgill Sike and Harthope Beck. The distant moorland hill is Three Pikes.

Trevor Littlewood

Wall north-west of High Hurth Edge

The wall separates the moorland above it from intake land - 'improved' land - below; those two land divisions also coincide with open access land and non-access land. The grass on the uphill side of the wall appears to be finer than would normally be associated with moorland; the underlying rock there is limestone, (there are exposures in the area), which presumably accounts for that. Three Pikes is the distant moorland hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Erosion defences among peat haggs and banks

The fence line and peaty groove lie to the north of Fendrith Hill. The purpose of the erosion defences appears to be to restrict the flow of water over the bare peat surfaces in wet weather. There are small rock piles but the main defence and probably the most effective are lengthy rolls of woven tubes filled with what appears to be animal hair. They're put in place and then staked down using wooden pegs and rope. Presumably all materials are biodegradable meaning that once their purpose has been served, they'll decompose. All of the defences are to the west of the fence / watershed and they extend, (probably not continuously), to the north on Chapel Fell. The peat of the groove in front of the fence although at a shallow gradient is surely prone to water erosion, but is doubly at risk as it's a hill walkers' route for folk connecting the two, two-thousand foot hills already mentioned!

Trevor Littlewood

Moorland south of summit of Chapel Fell

A fence and groove on Chapel Fell heading north towards the summit area. The vegetation and peat here at the edge of Harthope Moss appears to be stable whereas to the south there's a significant problem with erosion. To an extent, it's being addressed - Link .

Trevor Littlewood

Activity at Harthope Bank Quarry

In terms of cutting new rock the quarry has been inactive for many years but at least occasionally some work does go on there. On this visit, crushed rock was being loaded by a digger into a dumper truck. (Can the quarry be described as disused?)

Trevor Littlewood

View from Swinhope Head towards Dora's Seat

Philip Cornwall

High Hurth Edge

The outcrop is of what in this area (BGS sheet 25, Alston) was known when that sheet was last updated in 1973 as the Great Limestone and is the lowest stratum in the Upper Limestone Series. This marks a transition from rhythmic limestones mainly separated by shales, to a series where thinner limestones are separated mainly by sands and gritstones. The Great Limestone itself, however, is a thicker bed than any of the limestones close above or below, and this is part of what accounts for the presence of, albeit minor, caves in this area. On the top, Moking Pot can be descended, and connects with Moking Hurth in the cliff face below. There are many shakeholes in lines above the limestone, and lots of springs at its foot, one of the bigger ones feeding out to the left of this view.

Andy Waddington

Great Limestone outcrop

Andy Waddington

The stone men on Church Bowers

Church Bowers is a prominent outcrop of a gritstone which weathers grey, and has been extensively quarried along its outcrop, over a length of about a quarter mile from here to the northwest. These prominent stone men form a very obvious landmark for anyone heading up the track from Forest in Teesdale and mark the southeastern end of the worked area. The grit only outcrops over a limited area before intergrading into softer sandstones which don't form a landscape feature. There's a further outcrop, more intensively quarried, a kilometre further to the northwest. In other areas at this horizon, there's a thin limestone known as the Lower Felltop Limestone, and both the grit and the limestones are often topped by a thin coal seam. The middle cairn seems to be getting a bit decrepit but the outer two are holding up well. To the right of right hand cairn, you can see a small building which is adjacent to the track. Whilst small, it is very sturdily built, but shows no obvious signs of having had a roof. I surmise that this was used as a store for explosives - such buildings tend to be built with strong walls but weak roofing, so that any accidental detonation blows the roof away with little of the blast going towards people working nearby at ground level.

Andy Waddington

The stone men on Church Bowers

Church Bowers is a prominent outcrop of a gritstone which weathers grey, and has been extensively quarried along its outcrop, over a length of about a quarter mile from here to the northwest. These prominent stone men form a very obvious landmark for anyone heading up the track from Forest in Teesdale and mark the southeastern end of the worked area. The grit only outcrops over a limited area before intergrading into softer sandstones which don't form a landscape feature. There's a further outcrop, more intensively quarried, a kilometre further to the northwest. This particular rock doesn't seem to have a name (at least not at the time that BGS sheet 25, Alston, was last updated). In other areas at this horizon, there's a thin limestone known as the Lower Felltop Limestone, and both the grit and the limestones are often topped by a thin coal seam. The middle cairn seems to be getting a bit decrepit but the outer two are holding up well.

Andy Waddington

Track to Church Bowers

The track starts at Forest in Teesdale and ascends pretty directly towards the prominent landmark formed by three stone men at the souwtheastern end of an outcrop of gritstone that has been extensively quarried. In its lower reaches it is a public footpath, then has a brief spell as a byway (connected via other byway to the public road from Ettersgill to the east) before ceasing to be marked as a right of way at all at the point where it crosses into what has more recently become CROW Access Land. There are signs of recent vehicular use, either a small tractor or a chunky quad bike, but this seems likely to be associated with the use of the moor for grouse shooting rather than for a continuation of quarrying of the gritstone.

Andy Waddington

Moor west of Church Bowers

The cairn (marked as "Currick" on the OS map) seems to mark a small area where the bedrock is close to the surface, but has not been exploited for quarrying. The BGS sheet 25 for Alston makes it appear that the outcrop there is not of the gritstone that has been quarried, but a sandstone a little lower in the sequence, and possibly not as useful for building. Although there are no grouse butts in evidence, it is apparent that the moor is managed for grouse, from the tell tale chunks of white pvc pipe sticking up at intervals, marking the location of grit trays set out to drug the little blighters into submission for shooting (essentially, the medicated grit is to reduce the load of parasites so that the moor can carry well in excess of a natural level of game).

Andy Waddington

Disused quarry at High Hurth Edge

The small quarry working is above a higher limestone exposure where there are caves. Meldon Hill is the most obvious distant skyline hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Piles of stone in stream groove

The stream groove is on the south side of Fendrith Hill in Teesdale. The small stone piles are recent additions to the landscape and there are many more of them in other places on the hill, for example - Link . The stones have been placed to reduce erosion and are there not so much to prevent water flow but to slow it; slowing the rate of water drainage has the added benefit of reducing the rate at which run off enters the river system. An aerial view of the area shows that there are 'grips' - artificially cut drainage channels on the moorland above which were aligned to carry their waters into this stream groove to promote drainage to 'improve' the land. In an attempt to reduce erosion and to re-water the moorland those grips have been blocked in recent years. The stones will have been brought to the site from the nearby, disused quarry at Harthope Bank.

Trevor Littlewood