Haydon Bridge

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Haydon Bridge is a small village in Northumberland in England, with a population of around 2000 people. Its most distinctive features are its two bridges, both crossing the River Tyne, one pedestrian and one which carries the A69 road. The settlement is now effectively split in two by the Tyne, whereas the old village was on a hill overlooking the river; all that remains is an old church which used stone taken from nearby Hadrian's Wall. The A686 road terminates at its junction with the A69 just outside the village, linking Haydon Bridge with Alston and Penrith.

John Martin (painter); the painter of biblical destruction, was born in Haydon Bridge at East Land Ends.

At 1A Ratcliffe Road is the cottage once owned by Monica Jones. There she and Philip Larkin would spend many holidays. One of his better-known later poems Show Saturday is dedicated to the 1973 Bellingham Show, which they attended. They also went to the tar barrel ceremony in Allendale, and dined out in Blanchland. It was a record of Tommy Armstrong's 'Trimdon Grange Explosion' which Larkin heard at the cottage that prompted him to write his own late poem The Explosion.

Any visit to Haydon Bridge should encompass 'John Clarke's Newsagents', for years a pillar of the local community. The village also boasts four pubs: The Railway, The Anchor, The General Havelock and Haydon Bridge's Working Men's Club. There are two schools: Shaftoe Trust First School and Haydon Bridge High School.

Very recently, the 'old foundry' as locals called it (based on its earlier use as an ironworks established in 1843) was demolished to make way new accommodation specifically for past and present Haydon Bridge residents. The new flats are modern comfortable buildings that still manage to fit in with the rest of the beautiful surroundings of the village. residents include members of the Tweddle family whom have lived in Haydon Bridge for generations as well as a DJ named 'Swifty'.

Haydon Bridge railway station is situated on the Tyne Valley Line.

Coordinates: 54°58′N, 2°14′W