Rookhope
The valley surrounding Rookhope Burn is the site of the earliest medieval reference to metal mining in the Pennines. Today it is hard to visualise Rookhope as an energetic, bustling, village with a population that was more than twice its current 250. The Blacken Beaumont family firm, the Weardale Iron Company and the Weardale Lead Company have all made their mark in Rookhope. Underground exploration has found quartz, fluorite, siderite, pyrite and traces of galena amongst the limestone and granite. Beside the road to Allenheads you can see the one remaining arch of the Lintzgarth Smelt-mill site, where a twin flue took poisonous gases from the lead furnaces, above six arches, to the moor above where the fumes were discharged. Most of the village is on the north side of the river at a height of 1,040-1,100 ft above sea level. Consequently, this altitude shortens the length of the growing season and produces a glorious mixture of coloured foliages and unusual striking flowers, which can be seen at Rookhope Nurseries and Gardens beside the Rookhope Burn.
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