The North Pennines Heritage Trust

The Mill Cottage

www.npht.com

Organisational profile

The North Pennines Heritage Trust was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in September 1987. Before that date it had been a loosely formed special interest group of people concerned about the rapid decline and disintegration of many of the archaeologically valuable and historically interesting features within the North Pennines landscape. Following incorporation, and having gained Charitable Status, the Trust first rented premises from which to work and recruited a manager and administrator, to assist in the huge task of fund raising and conservation, which lay ahead. The Trust is administered by a board of 14 directors, appointed from the membership of 400. The North Pennines was once Britains most productive lead ore field and many of the mining sites contain listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments. There are also numerous other listed or scheduled built features in the area. In collaboration with the nine local authorities in the area, English Heritage and with site owners, the Trust identifies important sites in need of conservation and interpretation. It assembles financial packages and carries out the work either by its own labour or by contract.

Asset Base Programme

• Lambley Viaduct , a 17 arched Victorian viaduct, which is now incorporated into a long distance nature trail and public footpath. This was acquired with an endowment to maintain the structure for the next 50years
• Mill Cottage , a traditional three-bedroom miner’s cottage which forms part of the heritage site at Nenthead. The freehold purchase and restoration were funded with a Heritage Lottery grant. But a condition of this type of grant restricts our ability to use the property as security for further development work. Mill Cottage which is let to a local family also has a small barn adjacent, which has been converted into a bunkhouse for group accommodation and sleeps nine visitors
• The Row , Nenthead is a traditional miners cottage dating from the 18 th Century and has an external stairway to access the front door. The freehold property has been completely refurbished without grant and with other properties forms part of the Trusts social housing programme.
• Chapel of Rest , this building was gifted to the Trust without condition and planning Permission has been granted to turn the building into a two-bedroom house, work will start as soon as the loan funding package is complete. The house may become part of the Trusts Social Housing programme or may bel sold and used to fund the next housing project
• Nenthead Mines site is owned by the Trust on a long lease from Cumbria County Council and is being developed as the North Pennine’s major tourist attraction. At present the Heritage Centre hosts a series of exhibitions, traditional buildings with interpretation, café, gift shop and information point, as well as a fascinating site peppered with ancient lead mines and associated buildings, a reservoir, river and system of leats and launders for carrying water around the site, as well as the ruin of a magnificent lead smelting mill.
• Augill Smelt Mill complex , a rare example of ruins encompassing the smelt mill, dam and pond, flue, chimney, and site of a Roman signal station and undefined earthworks. This site was acquired on a long peppercorn lease in partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust is also being prepared for conservation and interpretation to the public, and the Trust owns a long lease on the entire site
• Dilston Castle and chapel in Northumberland was the ancestral home of the Earl of Derwentwater and has a rare example of a recusant chapel within the grounds. The property had been on English Heritage’s Register of Buildings at Risk for many years. The Trust has conserved the entire Castle and renovated the Chapel; these buildings house exhibitions and are open to the public. They are operated in partnership with MENCAP as part of their training programmes for the mentally handicapped
• Alston Arches This is the second viaduct acquired by the Trust and a £400,000 conservation programme funded by the Heritage Lottery, Railway Heritage Trust and Tynedale Council is due to be completed in May 2006
• Nenthead Hydro Ltd. The Trust has built and funded a 375kw Hydroelectric generating station which supplies power to its Nenthead Site and sells all surplus power to the National Grid, This project was funded using a private investor as no grants were available within a realistic time frame or the conditions attached were unacceptable.

Benefits

Benefits of the asset base programme for the organisation:

• The main financial benefits of the asset-based programme is our ability to raise secured loans and overdrafts from mainstream financial institutions.

Benefits of the asset base programme for the community:

• There is a policy of directing spending towards local firms and employing its own workforce has been a great help to the local economy and has made the Trust the second largest employer on Alston Moor. The Trust also publishes booklets on topics of interest and organises lectures and visits, guided by directors and members, in order to stimulate local interest in the underground workings of the North Pennines.
• Since 1991 the Trust has raised well over £5.5 million, most of which has all gone directly or indirectly into the North Pennines economy, through wages, the purchase of goods and services or the employment of many subcontractors.
• The number of schemes the Trust has completed has grown substantially and it now has schemes completed, in progress or in negotiation in every local authority in the North Pennines.
• North Pennines Heritage Ltd employs 11 people
• North Pennines Archaeology Ltd employs up to 15 people
• North Pennines Management Services Ltd employs 5 People

Lessons learned

• Single mindedness of the chief-executive is a key to success: he/she will be pulled in different directions by various committees, but needs to carry forward a clear vision for the Trust.
• Making sure that the Trust keeps its independence _which can mean getting rid of external agencies on the management committee_ is also important. Only independent Directors can take decisions that are consistently in the interest of the Trust. Independence sometimes comes at a price, and can mean restricted access to funding, but in the end it is also an advantage.
• By ring fencing assets, profitable businesses are not affected by the non – profit making businesses.
• By operating a full cost recovery policy each business stands or falls alone.
• The NPHT is primarily a conservation charity, but it developed a holistic vision early on, with a range of interests and activities, always looking at economic development together with conservation work. This has helped insure sustainability for the Trust and bring wealth to the community.

Contact: David Flush (Chief Executive Officer)