Thropton is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, England, located on the

River Coquet The River Coquet runs through the county of Northumberland, England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast at Amble. It rises in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland, and follows a winding course across the ...

, and its

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

Wreigh Burn. With a population of 780 ( 2021 census) it is situated west of the village of

Rothbury Rothbury is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the River Coquet. It is north-west of Morpeth, Northumberland, Morpeth and north of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, ...

connected by the B6431 near the junction of the Wreigh Burn and the

. In the hamlet is a stone bridge over the Wreigh Burn which was built in 1811. Thropton is on the edge of

Northumberland National Park Northumberland National Park is the northernmost National Parks of England and Wales, national park in England. It covers an area of more than between the Scotland, Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. The park lies en ...

, and the surrounding area north and south of the hamlet consists of haughs, and also to the south on the opposite side of the Coquet lies Simonside Hills, a hill range that has many crags dotted along it. Thropton was known in the past as Tattie-toon, a reference to the fertility of the soil in the surrounding area.

Amenities

The post office closed in approximately 2018, likewise the small village shop in which it was located, and the adjacent vehicle repair garage closed in November 2020 and reopened in 2022. In November 2022 a SPAR opened in Thropton, the shop has a floor area of 3,000 sq. ft. and has a four-pump forecourt operated by

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

. The

neon Neon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is the second noble gas in the periodic table. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with approximately two-thirds the density of ...

Shell sign has caused a row over light pollution due to Thropton being on the edge of Northumberland National Park which is a

dark-sky preserve A dark-sky preserve (DSP) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory, that restricts or reduces light pollution or maintains and protects naturally dark night skies. Different terms have been used to describe these areas as national or ...

, however a poll on a community Facebook page showed that 98% to 99% of residents did not think the sign was a problem . The row has been reported by the national media, including an article in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' and a mention on ''

Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio presenter and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guests, consumer issues and popu ...

''. Thropton has a pub the Three Wheat Heads, a 300-year-old

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

. There is a small Church of England church, a Roman Catholic church and a Plymouth Brethren Church.

Landmarks

A little over a mile to the south of the village are the ruins of Great Tosson Tower, a pele tower probably built in the late fifteenth century and later used as part of a system of watch towers designed to curb the activities of the

Border Reivers Border Reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "E ...

. A short distance from Great Tosson is Tosson lime kiln, designed by architect George Reavell in 1888, disused and restored in appearance by Northumberland National Park Authority. The site has a small car park and picnic site, and has fine views across the valley to Thropton main village and

. An information board at the site relates how a cow once fell down inside it. Thropton SPAR is the main shop and petrol station in the village.

Geography

Thropton has the B6431 running though, with the majority of the hamlet based along the road. Thropton also had two C roads, the C176 road from Thropton to Netherton via Snitter connects to the B6341, and is connected to the C178 running from Thropton to Whittingham via Cartington.

Culture

On the third Saturday in September Thropton holds its annual village show. The show is in field on next to the junction of the C176 road from Thropton to Snitter, and the C178 from Thropton to Cartington. leading from Thropton to Netherton. Alongside local trade and craft stalls, the show also has a Northumbrian

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...

, and fell race where runners run to and up the Simonside Hills and back. The village show started in 1915 and 2015 the centenary was celebrated. The Coquetdale Music Centre is also present in the village occupying a former United Reform Church. It is managed by the Coquetdale Music Trust. It hosts year round music events and also has a recording studio complex.

Transport

Thropton is the terminus for the X14 Thropton - Rothbury - Morpeth bus which is a lifeline to the rural community, with many services continuing towards

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. It is currently operated by Arriva Northumbria and was formerly operated by Go North East.

References

{{authority control Villages in Northumberland