Northumberland is England’s northernmost county and its most sparsely populated. It covers 1,936 square miles (5,013 km2) and had 321,532 residents at the 2021 census, which works out at about 64 people per square kilometre.
The whole county is run by a single unitary authority, Northumberland County Council, based in Morpeth. Blyth is the largest town; Alnwick is the historic county town.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | North East England |
| Status | Ceremonial county and unitary authority |
| Area | 1,936 sq mi (5,013 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 321,532 |
| Density | 64 people per km2 (166 per sq mi) |
| Largest town | Blyth (about 37,300) |
| Administrative centre | Morpeth |
| Historic county town | Alnwick |
| Highest point | The Cheviot, 815 m (2,674 ft) |
| Postcode areas | NE, plus TD15 around Berwick and CA in the far west |
Towns and Villages in Northumberland
The gazetteer records 411 named settlements in Northumberland. The 260 largest are listed below, alphabetically from Abberwick to Wylam.
- Abberwick
- Acklington
- Acomb
- Akeld
- Allendale Town
- Allenheads
- Allerdean
- Alnham
- Alnmouth
- Alnwick
- Alwinton
- Amble
- Ancroft
- Anick
- Ashington
- Aydon
- Aydon Road Estate
- Ayle
- Bamburgh
- Bardon Mill
- Barrasford
- Beadnell
- Beal
- Beanley
- Bearsbridge
- Bebside
- Bedlington
- Belford
- Bellingham
- Belsay
- Beltingham
- Berwick Hill
- Berwick-Upon-Tweed
- Biddlestone
- Bingfield
- Birtley
- Black Heddon
- Blanchland
- Blyth
- Bolam
- Bomarsund
- Bothal
- Boulmer
- Bowsden
- Brandon
- Branxton
- Broomhill
- Brownieside
- Burgham
- Burnstones
- Butteryhaugh
- Bygate Crofts
- Byrness
- Bywell
- Callaly
- Cambo
- Cambois
- Capheaton
- Carham
- Carrshield
- Carterway Heads
- Catcleugh
- Catton
- Causey Park Bridge
- Chathill
- Chatton
- Chesters
- Cheswick
- Chillingham
- Chollerford
- Chollerton
- Choppington
- Christon Bank
- Coalcleugh
- Coanwood
- Cocklaw
- Colwell
- Corbridge
- Cornhill on Tweed
- Corsenside
- Cowpen
- Cragside
- Cramlington
- Craster
- Cresswell
- Crookham
- Dalton
- Denwick
- Detchant
- Dilston
- Dirt Pot
- Doddington
- Donkleywood
- Doxford
- Druridge Bay
- Duddo
- Dunstan
- Eachwick
- Eals
- Earle
- Earsdon
- Easington
- East Chevington
- East Hartford
- East Ord
- East Sleekburn
- East Thirston
- East Woodburn
- Edlingham
- Eglingham
- Elford
- Ellingham
- Ellington
- Elrington
- Elsdon
- Eltringham
- Elwick
- Embleton
- Eshott
- Etal
- Fair Moor
- Fallowfield
- Falstone
- Featherstone Rowfoot
- Felton
- Fenham
- Fenrother
- Fentonhill
- Fenwick
- Flodden
- Flotterton
- Ford
- Forestburn Gate
- Fourstones
- Gilsland
- Glanton
- Goswick
- Great Bavington
- Great Swinburn
- Great Tosson
- Great Whittington
- Greenhaugh
- Greenhead
- Grindon
- Guide Post
- Gunnerton
- Guyzance
- Hadston
- Hallington
- Halton Lea Gate
- Halton Shields
- Haltwhistle
- Hampeth
- Harbottle
- Harle
- Harlow Hill
- Harnham
- Hartburn
- Hartley
- Harwood
- Haugh Head
- Haughton
- Haydon Bridge
- Hazon
- Healey
- Hebron
- Heddon on the Wall
- Hedley on the Hill
- Heigh
- Hepburn
- Hepple
- Hepscott
- Heugh
- Hexham
- High Buston
- High Callerton
- High Hauxley
- Higham Dykes
- Hipsburn
- Hirst
- Holburn
- Hole
- Holy Island
- Holystone
- Horsley
- Houghton
- Howick
- Humbleton
- Humshaugh
- Ilderton
- Ingoe
- Ingram
- Juniper
- Kellah
- Kielder
- Kiln Pit Hill
- Kirkharle
- Kirkheaton
- Kirknewton
- Kirkwhelpington
- Knarsdale
- Knowesgate
- Kyloe
- Lanehead
- Langley
- Lanton
- Leadgate
- Lesbury
- Lilburn Glebe
- Lilburn Grange
- Lilburn Tower
- Linden
- Linhope
- Linton
- Little Bavington
- Little Swinburne
- Loanend
- Longbyre
- Longframlington
- Longhirst
- Longhorsley
- Longhoughton
- Longwitton
- Lorbottle
- Low Brunton
- Low Buston
- Low Gate
- Low Hauxley
- Lowick
- Lucker
- Lynemouth
- Mardon
- Marshall Meadows
- Matfen
- Mindrum
- Morpeth
- Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
- Norham
- North Sunderland
- Otterburn
- Pegswood
- Ponteland
- Prudhoe
- Riding Mill
- Rothbury
- Seahouses
- Seaton Delaval
- Seghill
- Shilbottle
- Slaley
- Stakeford
- Stamfordham
- Stannington
- Stocksfield
- Swarland
- Thropton
- Warkworth
- Whittingham
- Wooler
- Wylam
Geography
Northumberland runs from the Tyne valley north to the Scottish border on the Tweed, and from the North Sea coast west to the Pennines. The Cheviot Hills form the border ridge, topping out at The Cheviot, 815 metres. Much of the interior lies inside Northumberland National Park.
Kielder Water, in the far west, is the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom by capacity, and Kielder Forest is England’s largest planted forest. The main rivers are the Tyne, Wansbeck, Blyth, Coquet, Aln, Till and Tweed.
The county borders the Scottish Borders to the north, Cumbria to the west, and County Durham and Tyne and Wear to the south. Hadrian’s Wall crosses the south of the county from Wallsend towards Carlisle.
Offshore lie Holy Island (Lindisfarne), reached by a tidal causeway, and the Farne Islands, a seabird and grey seal colony managed by the National Trust.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 321,532 residents, up slightly on 2011. Population is heavily concentrated in the south-east corner, within commuting distance of Newcastle upon Tyne; the National Park has fewer than 2,000 residents in total.
The largest towns are Blyth (about 37,300), Cramlington (about 33,200), Ashington (about 27,700), Bedlington (about 18,500), Morpeth (about 14,400), Prudhoe (about 12,100), Berwick-upon-Tweed (about 12,000), Hexham (about 11,400) and Ponteland (about 10,100). Alnwick and Amble each hold fewer than 9,000 people.
Northumberland has an older age profile than England as a whole, a legacy of young people leaving the former coalfield towns for Tyneside and beyond.
Economy and Local Life
Coal mining built the south-east of the county and its closure emptied it out; the last deep mine at Ellington shut in 2005. Blyth has since rebuilt around the port, offshore wind servicing and the National Renewable Energy Centre, and battery and rail manufacturing has come to the Cambois and Ashington sites.
Farming is upland sheep and cattle in the west and north, arable on the coastal plain. Tourism is the other mainstay: Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh, Lindisfarne, Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland Coast National Landscape draw visitors year-round, and Kielder is a designated dark-sky park.
Hexham, Morpeth, Alnwick, Wooler and Berwick still hold weekly markets and serve as service centres for the surrounding villages.
History
The county takes its name from Northumbria, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that once stretched from the Humber to the Forth. Lindisfarne priory, founded in 635, was raided by Vikings in 793 in the attack that opens the Viking age in English records.
For four centuries the border with Scotland was fought over, which is why Northumberland has more castles than any other English county and a landscape of bastles and pele towers. Berwick-upon-Tweed changed hands repeatedly before finally settling in England in 1482.
Coal, lead and later shipbuilding shaped the modern county. George Stephenson was born at Wylam in 1781, and the Blyth and Tyne waggonways were among the earliest railways anywhere.
Getting There
The A1 runs the length of the county from Newcastle to Berwick and on to Edinburgh. The A69 crosses west from Newcastle to Carlisle through the Tyne valley, and the A68 and A697 head north-west into Scotland.
The East Coast Main Line stops at Morpeth, Alnmouth (for Alnwick) and Berwick-upon-Tweed, with direct trains to London and Edinburgh. The Tyne Valley Line serves Prudhoe, Hexham and Haltwhistle. The Northumberland Line reopened passenger services between Ashington, Blyth and Newcastle in 2024.
Newcastle International Airport is the nearest airport, about 20 minutes from Morpeth by road.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Northumberland?
321,532 at the 2021 census, spread across 5,013 square kilometres, making it the most sparsely populated county in England.
What is the largest town in Northumberland?
Blyth, with about 37,300 people. Cramlington (about 33,200) and Ashington (about 27,700) follow.
How many towns and villages are there in Northumberland?
The gazetteer lists 411 named settlements, from towns of tens of thousands down to single-farm hamlets in the Cheviots.
Which council covers Northumberland?
Northumberland County Council, a single unitary authority for the whole county since April 2009. Its offices are at County Hall in Morpeth.
What is the county town of Northumberland?
Alnwick is the historic county town. Administration now runs from Morpeth, and the largest town is Blyth.
Where is Northumberland?
In the far north-east of England, between the Scottish border and Tyne and Wear, with Cumbria to the west and the North Sea to the east.