Shilbottle

Shilbottle is a village in Northumberland, north-east England, located 3 miles south-east of Alnwick, and 5 miles from the coast and Alnmouth. The village stands close to the A1 .HistoryCoal mining began in the district around 1728; by the end of the 18th century six shafts were operating around Blue Lodge Farm . In the early 20th century, Shilbottle Colliery was bought for £50 by the English Co-operative Wholesale Society, a federation of consumer co-operatives, who upgraded the mining site: a new village of 170 houses was built, including some cottages for aged miners. Furthermore, Shilbottle Colliery was the only pit in the area where workers were given a week's holiday with pay, and a pension scheme. The National Coal Board took over after the Second World War; production continued until a decline in the 1970s. The pit closed in 1981, and the workforce transferred to nearby Whittle, Northumberland.GovernanceAn electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches south-west to Brinkburn with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,925.BuildingsThe local Anglican church of St. James was built in 1885, at a cost of £4,000. It is in the Early English style, but stands on the site of an earlier church; the church register dates from 1681.